Sunday, July 31, 2011
New Pics - August Edition
I am headed out of town tomorrow so I am jumping the gun just by a day (well technically by about 10 minutes). Here are the new pics, ignore the blotches on my shirt I have no idea what I got all over it grrrr. Definitely not seeing the big changes anymore. I expect to stay around this same look for a while here especially since my amount of activity has declined the last little while. I know I am still losing weight but the body changes will need more activity if I want them to keep pace. So onto the treadmill while I am away for the next little while - hopefully it helps to keep things going in the change department. (Click to see a larger version).
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Short Term Goal Results
Well here were the short term goals I posted - lets see how I have done on them:
Well I would say that overall I feel like I did well on these short term goals. While I was away I did just a few pilates things several days and I was always getting my rollover over and really working on the down section of the rollover as Jana at Lead Pilates has said how important that portion of the rollover is for building ab strength. I think the big thing for me was using my arms - definitely noticed how important that was.
Veggies I have done pretty good as well. There were a couple days over the month where I had almost all fruit and limited or no veggies but those days were rare in the mix. And there were quite a few days where I ate lots and lots of veggies and relatively little fruit. But overall it was balanced pretty well between the two.
I guess that means it is getting time to set some new short term goals. Will probably post them later as I don't know exactly what I want for goals just yet.
Fitness Goals
| Goal | Work on my pilates rollover I will get it down this month! |
|---|---|
| Target Date | July 30th |
| Progress/ Comments | With not being able to get to pilates class as much for the next little while I chose this goal to give me a reason to do some home pilates! |
Food/Eating Goals
| Goal | Veggies - at least 3 servings per day and try to have more veggies than fruit |
|---|---|
| Target Date | July 30 |
| Progress/ Comments |
Well I would say that overall I feel like I did well on these short term goals. While I was away I did just a few pilates things several days and I was always getting my rollover over and really working on the down section of the rollover as Jana at Lead Pilates has said how important that portion of the rollover is for building ab strength. I think the big thing for me was using my arms - definitely noticed how important that was.
Veggies I have done pretty good as well. There were a couple days over the month where I had almost all fruit and limited or no veggies but those days were rare in the mix. And there were quite a few days where I ate lots and lots of veggies and relatively little fruit. But overall it was balanced pretty well between the two.
I guess that means it is getting time to set some new short term goals. Will probably post them later as I don't know exactly what I want for goals just yet.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Stupid scale
Now many would probably expect with that title that I was about to rant and rave about a gain. But not me, I am going to rant and rave about even having to use a scale and I am going to rant and rave about having a loss that was bigger than I wanted. I really want my loss rate to settle down a little bit and while I know I am almost always likely to have a bigger than average loss on the week following my gain week I just don't want it. I want to give my body time to bounce back to shape slowly but surely. I don't want the weight to fall off too fast because all I hear are the stories of people who lost fast and then turned around and gained fast. I don't see that happening to me because I do feel like I have the right frame of mind to maintain for life once I reach my goal. Because I recognize that I will need to do this on an ongoing basis.
Anyhow on to a rant about the darned scale. I hate the amount I still care about what it says, the number it spits out at me and how disappointed it can make me feel - and the expectations and hopes I still tie to it. I step on it hoping for a loss when I know really I shouldn't care that much about what it does in a single week. And after the fact I am able to balance out that thinking and those feelings but it is that tiny bit of time standing on there waiting for that wii fit little measurement bar to settle on it's stopping point as it goes up that is the really hard part. It is the bated breath as I can't help but hope it stops short of the last weigh in's little bar.
I suppose what it comes down to is that I almost always have some goal or target in mind and it seems like so rarely do I ever seem to hit it. Today I would have been really happy with losing the half pound I went up last week and maybe dropping an extra half pound after that. That would have been great. So maybe it doesn't matter what the scale does when it doesn't meet our expectations. I guess I can really see why one scale result that is deemed bad by the person sometimes throws them completely off track. I am grateful that I am able to put my feelings into perspective after the fact because I am focused on the big picture of what I am doing - but I think I have a new appreciation for how this can go for others.
Anyhow on to a rant about the darned scale. I hate the amount I still care about what it says, the number it spits out at me and how disappointed it can make me feel - and the expectations and hopes I still tie to it. I step on it hoping for a loss when I know really I shouldn't care that much about what it does in a single week. And after the fact I am able to balance out that thinking and those feelings but it is that tiny bit of time standing on there waiting for that wii fit little measurement bar to settle on it's stopping point as it goes up that is the really hard part. It is the bated breath as I can't help but hope it stops short of the last weigh in's little bar.
I suppose what it comes down to is that I almost always have some goal or target in mind and it seems like so rarely do I ever seem to hit it. Today I would have been really happy with losing the half pound I went up last week and maybe dropping an extra half pound after that. That would have been great. So maybe it doesn't matter what the scale does when it doesn't meet our expectations. I guess I can really see why one scale result that is deemed bad by the person sometimes throws them completely off track. I am grateful that I am able to put my feelings into perspective after the fact because I am focused on the big picture of what I am doing - but I think I have a new appreciation for how this can go for others.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Getting Back on Pace
Funny how easy it was for me to encourage people who would express difficulty getting in exercise when I was going so great at getting mine in. Do it in the morning I usually would say. But low and behold once my schedule got a bit more hectic I certainly let some of my own routine slide. Not entirely since I still was doing a fair bit of walking etc - but definitely not in top form. But I finally feel like I am a bit back into stride. This week I was able to make it to 2 pilates classes and I went swimming once (plus today I had quite a large amount of walking into the mix as well!). So all in all it feels like it was a reasonably good week.
I posted something from one of Covey's books (Principle Centered Leadership) on the WW message boards the other day. And I just want to say it speaks very deeply to me about what this whole process of change has meant to me so far. The first part of the quote was about how we often self identify ourselves based on our habits - we let those habits become our identity. Later he also goes on to talk about how we often let how we think others perceive us become our own self perception as well. Both those things just really speak to me. The idea that we need to get to know ourselves so that when we want to change our habits we don't threaten our own identity. And we need to get to know ourselves and be confident in our selves so that we don't let the perceptions (or our thoughts of the perceptions of others) become our own self definition - that we define ourselves as we are.
The other thing that really spoke to me is that we are not victims of our circumstances and that when we let ourselves be victims of our conditions or conditioning that we are not reaching our potential. We are not doing the self reflective work of understanding ourselves and gaining the control that we have but sometimes let get away from us. There are no quick fixes for this - when we search for the quick fix we simply set ourselves up for some condition or circumstance to interfere with our progress. As he says it isn't just about being simply "psyched up" about doing something good for ourselves and then once that initial thrill is over just abandoning it. It is about digging deep and getting into ourselves and understanding how we are able to carry on with what we want because we really and truly and deeply understand what it is that we want.
I posted something from one of Covey's books (Principle Centered Leadership) on the WW message boards the other day. And I just want to say it speaks very deeply to me about what this whole process of change has meant to me so far. The first part of the quote was about how we often self identify ourselves based on our habits - we let those habits become our identity. Later he also goes on to talk about how we often let how we think others perceive us become our own self perception as well. Both those things just really speak to me. The idea that we need to get to know ourselves so that when we want to change our habits we don't threaten our own identity. And we need to get to know ourselves and be confident in our selves so that we don't let the perceptions (or our thoughts of the perceptions of others) become our own self definition - that we define ourselves as we are.
The other thing that really spoke to me is that we are not victims of our circumstances and that when we let ourselves be victims of our conditions or conditioning that we are not reaching our potential. We are not doing the self reflective work of understanding ourselves and gaining the control that we have but sometimes let get away from us. There are no quick fixes for this - when we search for the quick fix we simply set ourselves up for some condition or circumstance to interfere with our progress. As he says it isn't just about being simply "psyched up" about doing something good for ourselves and then once that initial thrill is over just abandoning it. It is about digging deep and getting into ourselves and understanding how we are able to carry on with what we want because we really and truly and deeply understand what it is that we want.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Feelin' Hot
It is very, very hot here today - but the feeling hot I am talking about is not related to the weather. This weekend I had company here and then we all went to a wedding on Saturday. Friday night I went with my friend and her girls over to the Value Village to do a spot of shopping (I had nothing really to wear for the wedding). I tried on dresses from the 13/14 section and pretty much all of the ones I picked out fit no problem. So woohoo number one went by and I was very happy with that. Plus I really liked two of them - so I got the one I liked most out of the two. And I have to say it looked darned good on me. I would venture to say that I looked pretty darned hot! With my hair done and a little bit of make up on I really felt like I looked so fantastic. I haven't looked in a mirror and seen my face look this good in a really long time. The dress was flattering and everything but the real bonus was that I finally feel like my "skinny" face is finally coming back!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tabata - up one interval!
Back a while ago I first wrote about tabatas. I did one and then hadn't really come back around to doing them again until today. I did my second one today and actually did one more interval than I had done the first time I tried it out. To anyone who might actually read this and doesn't know a tabata is a 20 second interval of super high intensity aerobic activity (I run in place) that should get you panting level of work, followed by 10 seconds of low activity. Repeat this 8 times for a tabata. The first time I was only able to do 3 intervals. This time I thought I was going to have to stop after 3 but I kept going and did the 4th one although the last 3 or 4 seconds of it I was slowing down already.
It is funny I know how silly it sounds to find what amounts to 2 minutes of exercise really hard - but I suggest that you try it out to see! The benefit they say is the anaerobic burning of calories after this type of workout is done. And honestly I feel like I can feel it. There is a sensation in my core that feels like my body is continuing to work. Maybe I am just imagining it - but I don't think so, I actually believe it has stimulated something to keep going on in there!
Will have to see how long it will take me to improve to another full interval!
It is funny I know how silly it sounds to find what amounts to 2 minutes of exercise really hard - but I suggest that you try it out to see! The benefit they say is the anaerobic burning of calories after this type of workout is done. And honestly I feel like I can feel it. There is a sensation in my core that feels like my body is continuing to work. Maybe I am just imagining it - but I don't think so, I actually believe it has stimulated something to keep going on in there!
Will have to see how long it will take me to improve to another full interval!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Clarifying and shaping the language and understanding of this journey
On the WW site there is a general trend to calling this process a journey. I do believe it is a journey, but not to a fixed destination - rather it is a lifelong journey of self exploration and improvement.
The term journey got me thinking. When I think of a journey - I think of great things like holidays or vacations where I get to see new sights, explore new things, and generally have a great time. And I think to some degree I was thinking of that kind of thing with this fitness and health journey but hadn't really captured it in words. So, this journey it strikes me is like a lifelong vacation from my old unhealthy lifestyle that I didn't enjoy, and that was making me unhappy and unhealthy.
This journey is one of new sights - I have been seeing more places in my walking ventures as well as seeing a lot more of a few places that are good for me (fitness studios etc). Other sites include the site seeing of the changes to my body (as evidenced by my pictures and that I see when I look at myself in the mirror).
Exploring new things is definitely a big part of this. The biggest exploration is my own internal exploration - really getting into my own brain and my feelings and exploring my motivations, my challenges and what things work and don't work for me. The exploration of new and different foods has been a part of it. It has been an exploration of a strong, positive, and inspired and maybe even occasionally inspiring part of myself. I have been loving the process of building connections with people in the online community and really love exploring my role in it as supporter and support seeker.
Having a great time is definitely part of it. I love doing my pilates and really and truly enjoy it. I enjoy the great and delicious foods I get to eat each and every day. I really enjoy the new energy levels my healthy eating has given me. Those are all parts of having a great time on this journey and I really look forward to many more of them. But I am really enjoying the slow but steady transformation of me and my outlook, and appreciating that I am a person who can look at my target ahead with an absolute and positive confidence in my ability to reach it. I enjoy seeing myself as that person and that is the best time ever!
The term journey got me thinking. When I think of a journey - I think of great things like holidays or vacations where I get to see new sights, explore new things, and generally have a great time. And I think to some degree I was thinking of that kind of thing with this fitness and health journey but hadn't really captured it in words. So, this journey it strikes me is like a lifelong vacation from my old unhealthy lifestyle that I didn't enjoy, and that was making me unhappy and unhealthy.
This journey is one of new sights - I have been seeing more places in my walking ventures as well as seeing a lot more of a few places that are good for me (fitness studios etc). Other sites include the site seeing of the changes to my body (as evidenced by my pictures and that I see when I look at myself in the mirror).
Exploring new things is definitely a big part of this. The biggest exploration is my own internal exploration - really getting into my own brain and my feelings and exploring my motivations, my challenges and what things work and don't work for me. The exploration of new and different foods has been a part of it. It has been an exploration of a strong, positive, and inspired and maybe even occasionally inspiring part of myself. I have been loving the process of building connections with people in the online community and really love exploring my role in it as supporter and support seeker.
Having a great time is definitely part of it. I love doing my pilates and really and truly enjoy it. I enjoy the great and delicious foods I get to eat each and every day. I really enjoy the new energy levels my healthy eating has given me. Those are all parts of having a great time on this journey and I really look forward to many more of them. But I am really enjoying the slow but steady transformation of me and my outlook, and appreciating that I am a person who can look at my target ahead with an absolute and positive confidence in my ability to reach it. I enjoy seeing myself as that person and that is the best time ever!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
First one, still 2 more to go!
So I was really tired this morning so I didn't get in a workout. Really need to try to do one tomorrow morning because my body is definitely telling me it needs it. I am much more sore than I should be for what I have been doing the last few days.
Well it will be the short routine tomorrow morning and I am planning to do the full repertoire on Saturday morning.
Well it will be the short routine tomorrow morning and I am planning to do the full repertoire on Saturday morning.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Connections
Well someone on the Weight Watchers boards made a comment that just made some lights and buzzers go off in my little old brain. I love when other people have these fantastic insights and share them - sure makes this journey sooooo much easier when you don't have to make all the discoveries on your own! Some of them you just get to take to heart and use!
Well what she said is that her body seems to crave the healthy food when she is getting in the activity, but she craves the more junky stuff when she isn't getting in the activity. I have to say I think that exact same thing goes on with me as well. I can see how this past two weeks or so while I have been more busy and getting in less formal activity it has really seen me feeling much more inclined to cravings and especially for snack types of stuff.
So, even if I didn't already realize how vitally important activity is to my success in getting fit and healthy this would just provide additional reinforcement of that fact. The challenge then is for this next week is to get in that activity despite having a busy week! My goal will be to do the short pilates workout at least twice and try to get the full repertoire in at least once.
Will try to update on here with my progress in getting that activity in!
Well what she said is that her body seems to crave the healthy food when she is getting in the activity, but she craves the more junky stuff when she isn't getting in the activity. I have to say I think that exact same thing goes on with me as well. I can see how this past two weeks or so while I have been more busy and getting in less formal activity it has really seen me feeling much more inclined to cravings and especially for snack types of stuff.
So, even if I didn't already realize how vitally important activity is to my success in getting fit and healthy this would just provide additional reinforcement of that fact. The challenge then is for this next week is to get in that activity despite having a busy week! My goal will be to do the short pilates workout at least twice and try to get the full repertoire in at least once.
Will try to update on here with my progress in getting that activity in!
Fundamentals
Well I did a home pilates fundamentals workout this morning. Although now I am just realizing I didn't do a roll over during it. So I am going to take a pause in writing this and go give it a shot and see if I can get over today.
I managed 3 and a half of them. And definitely recognized a breath problem on one of them. Think I was holding my breath and not using it properly to give myself the push I needed. But I am pretty happy with how I did on it. Now to just keep working on it so that I can start doing it all the time - including when I am at class!
I managed 3 and a half of them. And definitely recognized a breath problem on one of them. Think I was holding my breath and not using it properly to give myself the push I needed. But I am pretty happy with how I did on it. Now to just keep working on it so that I can start doing it all the time - including when I am at class!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
New Pics - Decision time
Well it would usually be around now that I would post new pictures for the start of the month. And I took them yesterday. But the shirt is starting to get to the stage where it is a little bit loose and so it doesn't really show the changes that are happening now (since the changes are getting less noticeable). Plus it is also getting to the stage where I can't show all the pictures in a row. So I need to decide what I am going to start doing now. I think I am going to just show my start and my previous month and my current month from here on. Plus I am thinking that I need to pick a different outfit to start up some new ones (am thinking my workout outfit will work well).
Well here is the new one - I am not happy with it especially because the shirt is all crinkly but decided to just go with it anyway. Click the pic to see a bigger version.
Well here is the new one - I am not happy with it especially because the shirt is all crinkly but decided to just go with it anyway. Click the pic to see a bigger version.
------------
Here is a copy of my goals from the side bar. Really did quite poorly on these. Wasn't really focused on them. Well I guess I will revisit both of these soon in the hopes of doing better on them next time around.
Fitness Goals
| Goal | Get back to daily workouts - actual workouts not just walking on my non-pilates days |
|---|---|
| Target Date | Through to June 25th |
| Progress/ Comments | One down! Not doing terribly great on this, still getting in lots of walking but have been spotty on the actual workouts. Tomorrow morning I commit to doing one! |
Food/Eating Goals
| Goal | Eat only to satisfaction - not to full, and definitely not until I feel stuffed. |
|---|---|
| Target Date | Focus on this until June 4th - carrying this over until the end of June since it isn't going that great and I need more time to focus on it. |
| Progress/ Comments | Have to mention a bit of a victory - free things like fruit and veggies I find especially hard to stop with - but I did the other day. I left the last strawberry or two in the bowl because I recognized that I was satisfied! |
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