Honesty

It all comes down to being honest with myself.

After trying to push myself a little hard to get back on track after vacation, I hurt my IT band. Note to self: Don't attend spin class on Friday afternoon, Chisel Saturday morning and then try to run 13 miles. On the positive side, I "got" to go to the doctor and was forced to take a few days off from working out as well as called skinny & fit by the doctor. The downside was trying to stick to a more strict diet to counter the resting days. It was pretty much impossible with a visiting friend and too many late nights of chatting, eating, and drinking. (I still love you Sarah).

This week my goal is honesty. I haven't been honest with myself and my diet. I know I can workout but my self control around food is out of hand. I will write down and measure EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth! I will use my online weight watchers AND myfitnesspal to help me keep track of calories and points! I will go to the Tuesday WW meeting since I have avoided facing a close to ten pound jump since the last weigh in, yes nearly ten pounds have found their way back onto my body. I know that there are some hormonal things going on in my body that may have some play in the weight gain but, I have to be honest with myself, I'm not truthfully recording my food.

I know that this week is going to be a bit more stressful, I need to get a lot of work done in the classroom, family pictures and running to prepare for the half marathon on Saturday. I just have to remind myself that I CAN do this, I can maintain self control despite an increase in life stress. I love all aspects of my life; job, family, friends and am working on 'self. I can't hide from my problems and will face them all head on with new enthusiasm. I am grateful for the opportunities I will face allowing me to grow as a person (spiritually & emotionally, not physically, I hope).  ;)

** Update** I forgot to add that I was also blessed enough to be added to a group of great women trying to lose weight and hold each other accountable. Now I'm also asked to share my daily food journal, exercise and gratitude with this group! Below I have a pictures that I shared today of what I ate (the good and bad) and a picture of me planking with two of my kiddos.

Success comes to those who wait... and work, work, work!

Finally a GREAT week! I tracked all my food and all my workouts and it showed! I was really upset with myself at the beginning of the week, so I put on my big girl pants and got to work. I had to travel all week to a professional development all but didn't let that deter me. I made sure to work out everyday, even if it was a walk/jog. I did a couple free weight classes as well as my abs, guns, and buns challenge I've been doing. I REALLY felt my muscles on Tuesday after an intense Monday night Chisel class but pushed through it for a 4 mile run on Wednesday and finished the week with a 5K in Watertown. It was AWESOME! I ran a new personal best at 28:24. It felt incredible. I started running and had to let all my performance anxieties go. After I had done that, I focused on my breathing, posture, stride and releasing any unnecessary muscle tension. I didn't have my music going so I kept pace with my breath and was surprised as I kept passing other runners, especially those whom I consider to look much more fit than me. I encouraged a few of the younger runners (there were a lot of elementary kids running) and got advise from one little guy as I started down St. Anne's hill. He said, "Make sure to keep your stride long." I thanked him as I strutted down the hill and built momentum. I thought about slowing to a walk near the zoo but saw an even younger runner working hard and that just motivated me to keep going. I ran the whole way and pushed myself at the end, continuing through the parking lot after the finish line to get the official 5k distance (not just the 3 miles that the race ended at). I think the cherry on top for me was running the race with my husband (who finished 9th overall) and friends. It makes a big difference when you get to encourage others and support them before the race begins and as they finish.

The working out was not the only thing that made this week amazing. I also kept to my Weight Watcher points as well as MyFitnessPal.com calorie intake. I was very vigilant about what I was eating and was faced with many temptations. The professional development that I attended had the temptations of travel food (an hour there and an hour back that I could have been munching), as well as a goodies table in the classroom filled with salty and sweet delicacies. I made the decision to pack my own snacks and to eat salads for lunch. I indulged in a few of the dark chocolates on the table but also made sure to record them soon after I ate them. It does take me an extra effort to record everything I eat into two places but I have to say that it has kept me twice as accountable. Not only do I have to see how many points I have eaten but I also see the calories and the breakdown of fats, sugars, carbs, etc.

I knew that I wasn't going to be able to attend this week's WW meeting in Pierre so I found a meeting in the cities (where we were going for a graduation) and knew that no matter what, I was going to weigh in this week. I'm sure that also helped to keep me focused this week. I was so happy to follow up that 5k run last night with the weigh in this morning where I discovered 2 more pounds had disappeared. I am elated to announce that I only have 3 pounds before I will officially be within my BMI range. I am so filled with anticipation to see that number and now that it is within reach, I am starting this week with immense enthusiasm. There is nothing that can stop me. I will be in Spearfish all week for another professional development and will take the extra "me" time in the evenings to go on walks, runs, workout at the gym and plan to get caught up on a little r&r when not straining my brain with Geometry!

Wow, this post became a book... I'll save my remaining thought for later this week! Wishing a joyous, healthy week to all those who take the time to read this post (and those who don't)!

Baby Steps...

This week my biggest struggle was illness. I'm still not sure if it was a quick case of the flu or food poisoning, but that combined with the cough that just wouldn't let go and my stubbornness to accept that I need to rest and not push myself , created a tough 24-48 hours. It was very difficult for me to stick to any kind of meal plan and I couldn't move enough to get any kind of workout in, I could barely walk around my classroom let alone do lunges or bicep curls!

After my bout of illness, I did make a great diet tip/ discovery. It's so very simple that I'm very disappointed in myself for not having done it earlier. This small change was fruit, yes fruit. Apples, pears and bananas (oh my!) to be exact! All of these wonderful fruits are worth ZERO Weight Watcher points, which I have known, but never really thought about how I could be eating more of those and then needing less of the snacks I have been eating worth 1-3 points. I went to the store and bought more fruit and, TA DA, ate less points each day without feeling super hungry.

Another small change I made this week was upping my water intake. My first major reason was being sick and pushing fluids but I continued this small change after feeling better as well. It's amazing how much better you feel when drinking more water and less pop.

The final change I made was fitness related. I decided to sign up to get re-certified to teach yoga (and maybe cycling) again. Even if it's just subbing at the Y, the extra pressure of being a teacher and wanting to present an image of fitness is a great motivator to get myself to the gym everyday. I also have to keep track of the classes I attend toward my certification, so that's another great incentive to get my act together!

I didn't get to go to Weight Watchers today since I'm out of town and there aren't any meetings here today. I did however (according to my mom's scale) lose a pound this week, so small steps create small changes that result in big progress over time, and progress is good! Happy weekend everyone, take baby steps in the right direction! :)

P.S. I have discovered that I have this awesome four pack but am struggling to get rid of the excess skin, etc. over the lower two of my six pack, thank you to my beautiful three children, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Currently, I think only a tummy tuck would remove it but I'm hoping for a more realistic option! ;)  

I am my own worst enemy...

This weekend has been very productive; laundry done, house cleaned, lessons planned, attended Chisel & Step Aerobics, played at the park with the kiddos, and a new blog site started. So I should feel satisfied, right?!? Wrong :(   One of the other "accomplishments" of this weekend was recording my Weight Watcher points and, lo & behold, I went over by quite a few points this weekend. Ugh! It just proves what my WW leader said yesterday, "The points you don't record today find there way onto the scale tomorrow!" I wish there was a magic pill that gave me the same will power that's motivated me to exercise as to say no to snacking, anyone know where I can find it?

Alright, my pity party is over for the day! I'll get up first thing in the morning and head to aerobics class and start the week on the right foot. Tonight I'll plan out what I'm going to eat tomorrow (including my snacks) and stick to it NO MATTER WHAT!! I do find it can be difficult to not want a snack right after working out. I just have to be more mindful and plan my breakfast after my morning workout and supper after any evening workouts. Now to say a little prayer that my mind, stomach, and will power work together...

I also wanted to mention another big decision coming up this week. Lent will be ending on Sunday and I've successfully given up pop. Now I'm struggling with whether to start drinking it again after Easter. My husband says that if I've gone this long without why start again? My mind says that I've wasted many points on coffee and creamer the past 40 days in order to keep up with all the things going on in day to day life, it would be nice to go with zero point diet pop?! Hmm... I put a survey on my blog so if you are reading this and have a minute, I'd love your opinion! :)

Start the week out on the right foot, make healthy choices and be active!

Make it about the experience, not the food!

Happy Saturday Everyone! I decided to make the move to a different blog site, the other one was nice but didn't have all the options I wanted and wasn't as user friendly...

Today my thoughts are consumed (pardon the pun) with food. At Weight Watchers this morning we learned that we are faced with over 200 food related decision a day, that's a lot! No wonder I feel like I'm always thinking about what I'm going to eat. :)  After letting that statistic digest (I'm so punny), I started thinking about how every celebration, holiday, and special life event is centered around food. Family and friends get together to visit and catch up as we sit in each others' kitchens and munch. We celebrate birthdays with cake and treats. We offer our kids treats for good behavior (i.e. If you're good in church, we'll go out for breakfast afterward). So how do change that? Or do you change it?

Some would say that you should go ahead and throw caution to the wind, it is a special occasion after all?! I'd have to throw the B.S. flag on that one (as my husband would so graciously say). The reason for getting together should not be about the food but about the people. You're there to be with the people you love and care for. It's about making memories that will last long after your food has settled in your thighs... well that's where my food goes anyway!

My favorite memories are playing cards and board games with family while we talked about things that we going on in our lives or razz each other & spend hours laughing together. Of course I also remember the food, all the wonderful flavors that were at Grandma's house, the candy jar hidden up in her cupboard. I still struggle with reminding myself that I don't "deserve" that chocolate or that there are other ways to recall memories besides eating a piece of German Chocolate Cake or having creamy mashed potatoes with gravy. Looking back at pictures or calling family and chatting is way more effective and won't have the side effect of guilt when I'm done! I think you could also bring healthy food choices to gatherings; veggies or fruit trays, healthier versions of traditional dishes, etc.

My goals this week are to be more aware of what's going in my mouth, recording & measuring my points, not rewarding myself or my children with food, continuing my fitness routine, and enjoying the company of others!

My Family Last Year