A Quick Thank You to Weight Watchers!

I just wanted to post a quick thank you to Weight Watchers for brightening my day! I knew I had gained a little over the week with being sick and the joys of Easter and was feeling down... but after great conversation and motivation from my WW meeting, I left excited with a great sense of hope and encouragement! I am overly enthusiastic and have set my goal very high for the week. I'm hoping my cold is on its way out and I will be able to amp up my workouts and be more than meticulous about tracking my food. I will also be more focused while I eat, turning off the TV, putting away my phone/ computer, and paying attention to what I'm putting into my mouth!

What's going to get me to my BIG goal you may ask?!? I am motivating myself with the old carrot at the end of the stick trick, figuratively speaking... If I make my goal for this week I'm going to go and get a pedicure. :)  A WW member mentioned getting one in our meeting today and I thought that may be the perfect reward to myself if I can focus and work hard! So after next Saturday morning, if all the stars align, I will be posting a picture of me getting me reward.

Thanks again WW for putting me into cheerful and highly motivated spirits this morning!

If in doubt, give a complement...

"Wow!" "You look great!" "Have you been losing weight?!" "That outfit looks great on you!"

I'm not picky, I'll take any complement I can get! My love language is Words of Affirmation (The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman) and I have worked hard to learn to take a complement with grace. I used to brush it off as something that someone felt they had to say, now it boosts my mood and makes me more aware to give complements out as much as I can. I think that even the most mundane complement, "Your hair looks really good today," has the potential to change that person's day.

There is a down side, however, that I have discovered in recent weeks. I've been working so hard since January on my diet, since March working out like a rock star, I've dropped a couple of pant/dress sizes and am noticeably fitter so when I run into someone that I haven't seen in awhile (i.e. family, friends at Easter or other gatherings) and they say nothing... absolutely nothing, I am very discouraged. I start to question whether I really have been doing well or if the outfit I am wearing doesn't show my new self as well. It sets me off into a negative tail spin.

I talked to a friend of mine about this dilemma and she noted that she doesn't always complement people because she doesn't want them to think that she thought they looked bad or fat before. I never thought about it that way and I guess I would never take a complement in that manner since I know I've worked so hard to get here... but at least I understand a different perspective. I read a few other blogs on the subject and some mention jealousy, which I can also understand to a point. I know there are others who don't like that I am constantly checking in on fb to the Y or mentioning my weight loss... I honestly don't do it to make people jealous or angry with me or to make them say, "Way to go," I really, truly hope that I am inspiring someone to get up and do something. Whether it be to go on a walk or sign up for a fitness class or join me for some yoga or even join Weight Watchers... I want everyone to be successful, I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when someone tells me they came to class because of me or they started tracking their calories again after reading one of my posts... I want to make a difference in someone's life!!

Okay, back to my main point, I understand that some are unsure about giving out complements to others that look to have shed some weight but I say, "If in doubt, give a complement!" I'm not saying to go up to someone and say, "Holy crap, you must have lost a ton of weight!" but I do think a simple, "You look good" or "Have you been working out?" won't hurt anyone's feelings. If that's asking too much, simply tell someone their outfit or their hair looks nice or give them a warm smile.

I will continue to post my workouts and motivational quotes in an effort to inspire others and hopefully others will feel inspired to give someone, anyone, a complement to help them through their day!

Dear Stress...

Dear Stress,

Our relationship has been a long one. You have been with me for as long as I can remember. You have been there whispering in my ear as I completed endless assignments, tried to figure out the best way to approach relationships, over analyzed countless conversations with others, picked apart job interviews and numerous decisions that have been made, battled with weight loss and finding inner strength, struggled with finances, etc. I'm sorry to inform you this way, but it's time for me to move on. I have been unable to enjoy my family & friends the way I deserve to and the way they deserve to be loved!

I don't mind if you want to stop by once in awhile to keep me on task and focused but any more than that will no longer be tolerated. Please know that I will use all of my power to escort you out of my life (i.e. running, yoga, aerobics, meditation, prayer, playing with my children, talking with friends & family, cuddling with my husband, reading a good book or enjoying a bubble bath). This relationship is terminated immediately, I will not look back, only forward at the countless possibilities waiting for me in this new chapter of my life. 

With Deepest Regards,

Katie

Happy Easter!

What a great way to start the Easter weekend! Yesterday morning I got up and packed for the long weekend of traveling. I then ran down to Weight Watchers to weigh in before leaving town. I was so happy that I had gotten rid of 4 more pounds, bringing my total since January to 22 pounds gone forever!

I can tell that many habits have been made thanks to the great support that I receive from my leader, Ona, and all the members at WW as well as the positive encouragement I receive from others at the YMCA. I also made it throughout this Lent season without any pop. I can tell I have made these new habits when yesterday I decided to pre-pack some healthy snacks (weight watcher snacks, cheese sticks, apples). I also made sure to pack some WW pretzels in my purse to have during the circus and successfully avoided eating the enticing treats the circus offers.Last night ended with a great walk with one of my sisters and some long overdue conversation!

I can't wait to celebrate this beautiful holiday with all my family today! I just have to remind myself that the holiday is about Jesus dying for our sins and rising to new life. It's not about eating as much junk and food as I can. It's about spending time with family, enjoying conversation and making memories.

Enjoy your Easter! He is risen!

No Excuses!

Good Morning on this chilly Easter Friday! I would like to send out a huge thank you to social media, I know that sounds silly but it helped me out a lot yesterday! I haven't been feeling very well, just really run down and some cold like symptoms, and yesterday was a very busy day. My husband had to run to Rapid for work and I was left without a vehicle and in charge of picking up our kids at the end of the day. At lunch time, before I knew I'd be vehicle-less, I had put on facebook that I'd be going to a Chisel class at 4:15 p.m. As the day wore on, I felt less and less upbeat & healthy, I discovered the van was still in the shop, and my workout buddy bailed on me (don't worry, I don't hold it against you). All these reasons led me to decide that it wasn't going to work for me to go to the class and I was okay with that.

The closer it got to 3:45 pm the more I realized how guilty I'd feel that I had put on fb that I was going to workout and then didn't, albeit for good reasons but they were just excuses, I could make this work! I decided that I'd walk to the Y, leave class by 5pm and walk/jog to go and pick up Natalie at daycare and the boys at the school. I still didn't feel well but got a mood & energy boost from the brisk air on my walk to the Y. The class was good and I got out of there on time but underestimated how long it would take me to get my stuff together and to walk home after doing that many squats. :)
I finally got home to grab the stroller and realized I'd really have to push myself to get to both places before 5:30, so I ran/ jogged carrying the stroller to go get Miss Natalie and then she had a fun sprint ride on the way back to get the boys. Needless to say, I did it, I got all the kids by 5:30 and was home shortly after.... and exhausted!

I know that some may think that I'm bragging or rubbing it in when I use social media to say when I'm going to workout, however, that is NOT my intention at all!! My goal is and always has been to motivate myself and others. It worked for me yesterday and, hopefully, has worked for some others to get up and get moving, to take care of their body! This push I've given myself this week has helped me to shed 3 more pounds, only 5 pounds from my goal #1. Hoorah! I'll let you know more about my progress tomorrow after my WW weigh in. Today my plans are for a Spin Class at the Y and some running as well as staying in my WW points for the day. Make everyday count!

Poor Self Esteem

I am having one of those days where my inner voice is my own worst enemy! I've been working on telling my negative self to "be quiet" or "shut up" (I know, get me a straight jacket), today I didn't do as great of a job and just let the voice slip in over and over. It started this morning when my sweet little sunshine of a daughter woke up extra early and as I rocked her back to sleep I talked myself out of going to workout in an hour, since I'd really appreciate the extra sleep more. I did enjoy the extra sleep but immediately scolded myself when I 'officially' woke up for the day for missing my morning class. I continued to beat myself up as I felt tired and sluggish getting ready for work, "You'd have more energy if you would have got up and moving this morning instead of sleeping more!"

The stress I put on myself this morning continued as I navigated my way through the day. I didn't take the time to appreciate my successful math lesson or science discussion and instead focused on how I couldn't quite control the volume of my students as well as I'd hoped (older students are doing Smarter Balance testing in the computer lab next door). In retrospect, the students are super excited about our baby duck that's hatching and we were doing a lot of group activities today plus no one complained to me about hearing us next door. I also had a overly long list of things to accomplish today thus setting myself up for further failure and further negative thoughts.

I thought an iced coffee energy drink would give me the boost I needed to get more things done at work and then head to the gym feeling ready for a great workout. Unfortunately, after consuming said beverage I realized it was worth 5 WW points, leaving me 5 points for supper. So instead of waltzing in, ready to conquer whatever the instructor threw at me, I came in with a chip on my shoulder knowing I had messed up for the umpteenth time today. I was hoping that the workout would eventually life my spirits, as it usually does, but I think that I was in such a slump that no amount of sweat or bicep curls was going to release that tension. It was quite frustrating that I also couldn't focus my attention on feeling the "burn" and instead found my mind wondering to how I wish I could look like so and so or I'll never be able to do that...  I might as well stamp a Negative Nancy sticker on my forehead today (no offense to any of the wonderful Nancys in my life)!

I need to hit my reset button. Reevaluate my day and look for all the positives. Read some motivation quotes, set up a plan for success for tomorrow, and go to bed early! Today was not bad, my attitude was, tomorrow will be terrific!

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!