One thing I can say with 100% honesty is that I am consistent at not being consistent!
Today is the end of my 21 day habit forming period #1. I would say that I was about 80% consistent. Not bad. Right? Okay. So what is the next step? Well, onward and upward. Time to incorporate some strength training. I am one who prefers to workout at home. Simply because of time, or lack thereof. I really see the benefits of going to a gym. Going to a gym there is that sense of accountability. You get to know the people there and they come to expect to see you. So you might feel that responsibility to show up. Whereas at home, you are only accountable to yourself. This is where many of us fall short. Including myself. To help me, I look at my clothes. I am accountable to my closet. To prepare for the next 21 days, I have my routines written down and this weekend I am going to prepare my little room. I might post my routines up on the Health Whacko. If you would like to see them, please leave a comment below or on my Google+ or my FaceBook. Next week, I will post a picture of my room and let you know how my first week went! Stay tuned...
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I once heard that our body is a sculpture. Or something like that. I thought it was an Arnold Schwarzenegger quote but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. That man has said a many great things when it comes to body building and strength. Even about determination and success. Here are some of my favorites: Today’s focus is body sculpting. Even though I couldn’t find the quote I was thinking of.
This week, I have had to learn the workings of my current body. It is not the same as it was when I was in my 20’s. Let’s be honest, it is not the same as it was even a year ago. Your body changes with each life change. For example: puberty, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, etc., having a baby, menopause, quitting drinking/smoking, diseases and ailments such as cancer, diabetes, migraines, or fibromyalgia. And so on. You get the point. I have four children. That is eight times right there that my body has gone through changes. I am turning 40 this year; I am a woman and like all women, my hormones go to the amusement park every month; I quit smoking; I suffer migraines; I was in a car accident that left me coping with vertigo issues. I have experienced numerous changes and learning opportunities. My point is, to sculpt your body you must know your body. You need to take into consideration all of those changes and how they affect your body. You have to take keep in mind calorie intake versus your caloric usage. You have to know your limitations and how far you can push those limits. Right now, I am on a new learning curve. My accident was a year ago at the end of this month. Just a few months ago I was able to look up at the sky again without falling over. It was time for me to slowly get back into my active routine. And slow it is. It has only been a couple of weeks that I have been … let’s say … WJ meaning movement somewhere between walking and jogging. Okay. It has been two weeks that I have been dedicated to my 6am WJ route three times a week. To someone who trains, this is a joke. But to me, this is a big deal. Running was not my favorite thing to do to begin with. After the first week I was hit with a lovely migraine. Got a new prescription and it was dealt with. But, as soon as that was dealt with and out of the way, my body decided that I was strong enough to cope with more and I had another vertigo episode. At first I thought nothing of it. Maybe I sat up too fast. But when the second one happened as I was checking out a ceiling tile, I knew, my vertigo had returned. I went on my WJ regardless. I mean, I don’t have an episode while I am moving, so why not. I just can’t look up at the sky. Or Look at my feet. Or turn my head quickly. Or … Damn, this sucks! Okay. But I really feel I have no choice. Really. I am glad I can’t look down to be honest because that sight, not so pretty anymore. I am okay to look forward. Because forward is where I am going. This is my body and I am the sculptor. Only I can sculpt it to be the way I want it. The inner workings of my body may throw me curve balls, but I just need to learn from them and readjust my sails. (c) Rachel Rennie You could hardly call it a run. Heck, you could hardly call it a jog. But there were a few moments when my body told me it was time to pick up the pace a little. My first “run” in two years. Yup, TWO years. I hadn’t realized how long it had been until I posted a comment to one of Mr. Crow’s posts. He wrote about how making a plan makes it easier to succeed. I read that post the day of my “run”. The day after I made my plan. The night before I got out my gear so that when I woke in the morning, I could just get ready and go, bleary eyed and all.
I had my music on quietly, because I was on day two of a migraine, and I listened to the thunder still rattling away in the distance. A few lightning bolts scared me, because I was on a trail in a field, but my instincts told me they were too far away to cause me harm, and I kept going. I took a few pictures on my trek that morning. The temperature was just right, it had been much too hot for a few days, the sun was just the right brightness, and the rain was rejuvenating! I couldn’t have been happier. The air even smelled good. No pollution like in the city. But, I have a LONG way to go. In 2013 I was running (jogging) a ten minute mile and this run was a fifteen minute mile. This run, my first in my new town, my first in two years, was a 1.5 mile run. And, overall, I felt pretty good. And, that was just one of the many trails right out my door. I have 25 kilometers of trails to explore! Now, excuse me while I go out for another trek! To pick up new migraine medicine! A shout out and a big thank you to a few people who inspired me to take this first step: My husband for telling me that I can do it, Jeremy Crow for his daily health tips and all around general encouragement and to Matthew Jones for posting on his blog, pictures of the sights on his run. My good friend Jeremy has kindly agreed to help me out again. This time simply because, I have nothing exciting to say about my health journey on this #FitFriday. I was watching this documentary on HBO the other day called “Tru Blood” in which these Vampires down in Louisiana have somehow integrated into society, and basically leach off of the system in one way or another. It’s pretty brutal actually, all the blood and gore, but I can only imagine that they know what they are doing. Ok well maybe it isn’t a documentary, but it might as well be. There are vampires among us in just about every facet of our life, and just because they don’t suck your blood they will figure out a way to suck the life out of whatever it is that you happen to be good at. Please keep these things in mind if you are a newbie to the gym, or someone that appears to have a very hard time getting healthy. You need to be accommodating to those that are trying to help you sooner or later, or else you are actually a problem.
I know you might be thinking what a horrible person this Jeremy Crow jerk must be to say such a thing, but the truth be known, I have been doing this work out thing for an awful long time. I may not be the stereotypical meathead that you would expect to see after 20 years of working out, two degrees, and running a moderately successful health blog. Of course now I should say, “shame on you for thinking I would be,” but aside from that I happen to be the most helpful person in the world, and especially at the gym. The secret to me being able to do that is that I know when to give up on someone. Our job, as a helpful member of society, is in the understanding that some people need help and others just want it. Think of it this way. You know a perfect book on how to do whatever. You tell someone that if they read that book, they will be an expert like you. They refuse to read the book because they expect you to simply explain the book to them, if you accept that as a good idea, then I could have used you when I was a raving and active alcoholic. Now fortunately when I ran out of people like that I was forced to choose between quitting drinking or slipping further into misery without the audience I had grown accustomed to. The person who desperately needs to get in shape, but won’t do any of the work to get in shape is the EXACT SAME THING. They are now completely interfering with your ability to work out, and do things other than work out, and given enough time they will make it so you don’t want anything to do with working out. Now of course you don’t just grab the person by the hair and walk them out the door of the gym explaining to them that you never want to see them again. You simply explain to them that they should probably find someone who they can get advice they will use from. You have to worry about you. On the other side of the coin, if you are genuinely active and obviously take someone’s advice at the gym or in another scenario (accommodating to those that are trying to help), you will probably find that they will never need to push you aside, nor will they ever want to. They most likely will feel that they are doing some good, and I say THAT because that is how I treat every new person that comes into the gym and asks me just about anything. In other words; never be afraid to ask questions, but sooner or later you have to take the advice. How many have had this sort of dialogue before? "Maybe if I wore clothes that fit, I wouldn't feel so fat." Well, you are not alone. Trust me! Like me, you are not the first, and like me, you won't be the last! It takes time, effort and dedication to change your lifestyle to one that is healthy. In reality, my lifestyle is really not that unhealthy. But of course, I do have some habits that put me in the place to be where I am today. Well, I would say I did pretty good this week making conscious decisions. I did learn one very important thing this week .... I need to go slow otherwise I will hurt myself. Giving your muscles time to wake up and recover is necessary and not the end of the world. At what time do I start counting the 21 days? Is it the day when I first start my plan? Or is it the day that I have incorporated all pieces to my plan? And what happens when I go off course? Do I start over again?
For example, phase I was the 3Ms. More sleep, more water and more movement. I needed to keep it simple just because of all the other stuff happening in my life. I gave myself 3 weeks (21 days) to meet this goal. I have met this goal but it doesn't mean that I no longer focus on these core things. Phase II? I haven't defined it to be honest. I guess Phase II can be ... being serious about my health. Being aware of my daily caloric intake and output. Remembering, it goes beyond thought. Action is required! Honestly, I do not want to write this post. Writing this and SHARING it with all of my readers makes it real and I can’t go back. Once I put this out there, it is out there. In 2008, when I returned back to the workforce after having my fourth baby, I was at my biggest. For years I worked hard to get back my pre-baby body. My pre-baby body of four babies before. In 2012, I still had not reached that goal. I fought through depression with the realization…that pre-baby body was no longer mine to be had. I was a mother now and a mommy body is not only what I deserved, but what was rightfully mine. My body had been stretched to unimaginable proportions all for the status of “momma”. I should really embrace that. And so I did. My mindset was to be a sexy momma. My goals changed and I was feeling pretty good about myself. I was still eating well, or well enough, and I was still working out. I was rocking those HiiT workouts that found 20 some year olds struggling. At this point I probably was not getting smaller but I was definitely getting stronger. And my endurance was increasing. Growing up I had outright refused to run in gym class. I will never forget one conversation with my gym teacher. “What if someone held a gun to you and said run or I’ll shoot?” If only he could have seen me at my peak in 2012. I was almost doing the 9 minute mile. Running had become a part of my day, and the days that did not permit me to run were the days I was at my worst. I ran every week day at work and then followed it with a HiiT routine. I spent hours modifying my workouts and schedules and rotations of those workouts. On weekends I would do a mixed workout and have active play with my kids. And we walked everywhere (before we got our first vehicle in 2012). It took me five years to get here. But I forgot the most important part of it all. I still complained about how fat I was. How heavy I was. How I still gave in to my cravings. I forgot to look at how far I had come. How much weight I had lost overall, not just in the past month. How few and far between those cravings actually were. I forgot to look at the size of my clothes, which in fact, were the smallest I had ever worn since I had become an adult. I forgot to see how much longer I could play with the kids at the park. How I could keep pace when walking with my husband. I forgot to recognize that tummy as the honorable ownership of a mother. I earned my stripes and, unlike some women, I was happy to have those. But I forgot the stripes had to have a home. The tummy is where they belonged. And now I hang my head in shame. In despair. In 2014 I was in a major motor vehicle accident. I couldn’t look up or down or left or right. I would get dizzy spells that made me feel like my world was tilting or slanting. Then there were times when the dizzy spells would come without warning and I would simply fall over. I would wake in the middle of the night because I felt like I was falling through my bed. I couldn’t walk up or down stairs. I had to be very aware and proactive while driving; always getting in the lane I needed as soon as I could to minimize shoulder checking. Any jumping or running was a definite no go. Any sudden movements sent sharp pains through my head. My life had suddenly changed. My outlet for freedom, to de-stress, to feel good about me was taken away. My only comfort left to me was the one thing I needed to be cautious with. Food. At first I think I handled it well. But then, I noticed small changes. And with these changes, I needed more comfort. About eight months later I was cleared by my physician to get back to where I was. I wanted to scream at them. Did they realize it took me FIVE YEARS to get to where I was?! Hand me that tub of ice cream would you please. All I can do is sigh with a sad face as I put away my winter clothes and prepare for summer. There is nothing to pull out for summer. These clothes, they simply will not fit. And there is no amount of food that will make me feel better about that. In fact, food is the enemy. Today, I am at the biggest I have ever been in my life. But, I can’t get depressed about it. I will not let myself continue this vicious cycle of eating to help my sadness about my weight. That would be crazy. Instead, I will get angry and burn that negative by working out. So here I am. Back at the beginning. My supportive husband by my side telling me I CAN do this. I learned this week that I still can’t do any jumping or any cross body twisting (think roman twists or kettlebells), but low impact cardio and strength will do. So, I will do what I can and always challenge myself to do a little more. I am determined. SMART criteria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I am not giving up on this journey. It is my own fault for not dedicating myself. But I have legitimate reasons. EXCUSES. So, let’s get back to the basics and set some real, realistic and attainable goals. 1. Drink more water. Minimum 5 cups per day up to 12 cups per day. This one I have been getting better at. I am about 4 – 5 cups per day already. Cutting back on the coffee helps me to reach this goal. 2. Cut back on the bread. This one is going good. I have one piece of bread every three or four days compared to my four pieces every day. 3. Cut back on the snacks. This one, well, I have my days where I do good and other days where I binge. This really needs to change. I need to focus on my cravings to determine what it really is my body is lacking. 4. Get more sleep. My goal here is to get to bed before midnight. Again, some days I get it and other days, there is too much to do and I need more time to do it all. 5. Be active. I really wanted to get back to my HiiT routines. And I did good for a few days. I know, lame. And I have a ton of reasons why I have failed at this. So, instead of beating myself up for failing and instead of continuing with my excuses, I am going to be realistic here. My goal here will be to take 30 minutes during my work day to go for a walk, walk to the furthest washroom, walk as many flights of stairs as I can (I work on the 5th floor of a building that has ghost floors in between each floor). Just get up off my butt and move! In a month we will be moving. We will have access to many new parks and trails to explore. Forget the HiiTs for now. I am just going to focus on simply moving around more. Once we move to our new house and I have adjusted to my new schedule, then I will start my more aggressive routines. I think that 5 goals is a good place to start. I want to be successful in my journey and I can’t do that if I set my expectations of myself so high that I easily get discouraged. I am placing my time to reach these goals as June 1, 2015. Then I can have another look at where I am at. Celebrate my successes and make some new and refreshed goals.
Ok…before you judge me you must know. I am a curious person. I am also a bit of a lazy person, I suppose. But I will make excuses as to why that is until the cows come home. But I guess that defeats the purpose, right? Making excuses I mean. I just wanted “help”. I wanted to make this journey a little easier. I wanted help to be successful. To be honest, I doubt my own ability to be successful. Why? Well, it’s simply really. There is thing out there called food. And food is good to me. It helps me celebrate when I’m happy and things are going good in my life and it helps me feel better when I am down. So this offer came up, and I took it. I bought “the” pills that are all the rave right now. I mean, the marketing is pretty good out there. The testimonials support it. How many fake liars can there possibly be out there in the world. Surely there must be some truth in their claims.
Well, I can say I have not lost any weight taking these pills. Not a pound. And I have not gained muscle either because I have not been working out consistently. What I can say is that it has helped me with my emotional eating. And my boredom eating. And my cravings. And they did give me a bit more energy. I stopped taking the pills right now because I want to take them while I am working out. But I have been so tired and yawning so much, I am thinking of starting again. Mind you, I am also trying to quit coffee. My husband says my coffee addiction is not helping me with my health journey. He’s a smart man and I know there are many others out there that seem to agree with him. These are the pills I bought. I did extensive research first and ensured I bought ones with Calcium, Chromium and Potassium and with 1000mg of HCA. I can’t tell you why it is so important, I just remember reading that it was. This isn’t a review; just my experience. The old me would whine and cry, "I failed." Then I would proceed to eat everything in sight to help me feel better. In the moment, it works but the satisfaction doesn't last long. Well, Easter was no exception. But Easter is over and I can't sit here and pout forever.
I need to make the time and make the change. I need to get back up and keep moving forward towards my goals. I have a lot going on in my life, but that doesn't mean I can't stop for a moment and enjoy a walk in the fresh air with my children. Right now, at least it is something. As for my love of food, I need to make a commitment to myself. What is more important to me? The food I am enjoying in the moment in a body that I am not pleased with? Or the food that gives my body what it needs to be healthy and strong so I can be happy with what I see in the mirror? Or, better yet, the body I am working towards so that it can sustain a long life and be here to not only watch my children grow but to be active in their growth. My wagon bounced down the trail of Easter and went off track. I would even say that I fell right off that stinking wagon, but, I can get back on track. And I will. Being healthy and fit is not a fad, it is a lifestyle. Jeremy Crow is the nom de plume of Jeremy Fink, who has been writing blogs entries for almost a decade now. He has had varying degrees of success along the way, several nervous breakdowns, a few “I quit and I’ll never do this again!” moments, and so many get rich quick ideas that you couldn’t count them on two hands. None of any of this has been a failure it’s just been a trial run, for what, he does not know, yet. His brain doesn’t turn off, and he loves to see his own words. The attitude of gratitude is one of the hardest things to teach, when it comes to the healthy new you. Problems arise when we forget that it took us many years of neglect to get where we are when we finally decide that it is time to do something about it. Instant gratification is something that we can expect from out local Target or Wal-Mart, but not exactly something that we can expect when we decide to get healthier. Most people will sit by and sigh in agreement at this statement and then totally forget about it when it comes to diet and exercise. Think about this, but if you keep your mind in today like I do, you can accomplish a lot more than you think. I like to workout first thing in the morning because then I can spend the rest of my day being happy that I did it. Some days I can just spend the rest of the day happy that I got it out of the way, but it IS something. I can now worry about the things that either pay my bills, or get my children fed, or keep my spouse happy, but behind all of that I can be happy that I got my workout finished. I tell everyone that the hour or two I spend at the gym is nothing compared to the many hours of self righteous bliss I get afterwards. What about those days when you just didn’t get that workout in like you know you should have? Here’s the best part! You don’t need to wake up tomorrow carrying that regret; you just need to start the routine over again. In time you will start really being proud of yourself because THAT doesn’t happen as much as it used to. Then it is all about the ideas that you think up that work well for your physical and more important MENTAL well being that a great workout gives you. Oh did I mention that they are ALL great workouts? Well let me tell you that they are all great workouts and that is how you need to think about it. It isn’t about the how, or the how much, or the how often, it is about the how you feel after the workout. Concentrate on that, and don’t worry about how long or how often. Start with one and then go for two. Back in my days of trying to be a personal trainer, I would send the new health aficionado off to the treadmill, for a good long walk. Not a run, not a whacked out recumbent thingamabob, but a good long walk. Because if you can do a good long walk you can do anything, and it is also good to learn to be grateful that you can actually do a good long walk, since some people can’t? Pat yourself on the back because you worked out today, and don’t forget to hold onto that feeling, I promise you it will be better every day you do it. A grateful heart can accomplish great things. (c) Jeremy Crow This post touches close to home for me because my son, who is a track runner, can no longer run, or walk without crutches, due to a recent injury. I think I'm going to go for a walk now!
To read more of what Jeremy has to say, please visit his site. He writes about fitness, blogging, politics and MORE! Please comment below and tell me... Are you going to go fora walk too? |