Rough last week. Rough start to my weekend. I think weekends are my good-intentions-killer. The stress eating and emotional overload is what does me in. I am over committed with the kids and their activities. Today, I formulated a plan. I got up at my usual 5:00 a.m. for my workout. I set my itouch to alert me in 60 minutes, and I got on the spin cycle. I did some weights while on the cycle. And I reassessed everything. EVERYTHING.
There is no hero to come save me from myself. I have to save me from me. The extra helping and the extra cookies don't make me feel better. The just don't. The sleeping in (as yummy as that sounds and feels) does not burn off the fat.
EATING PLAN:
Eating more fruits and veggies in season. I had a really great spaghetti squash with chicken and marinara sauce with spinach on Friday. It was divine. I've forgotten how nice it is to eat something that is simple and not refined like rice, bread, or cereal. It was light, but filling all at once.
I've been wanting to menu plan. Write in my planner every week what I am going to make for dinner, which in turn will become lunch. Planning breakfast and snacks around my day. Allowing something sweet, even if it is very small, will make me feel like I am not deprived. I desperately want to learn to bake something and to not devour it in a day. I want to take a clue from Amazon who ate ONE brownie in the span of 3 days. Seriously? This kid is genetically mine, but I still have doubts.
FITNESS:
60 minutes a day of cardio. No excuses. I can't continue to think that I can lose weight by eating less; I am just not eating less. My body needs the daily activity. It doesn't have to be a 5 mile run, but I definitely have to burn off the fat. Strength training has been done while on the machines. Light weights and increased repetitions, but not consistently. Yoga helped my upper body be stronger. I have to get back to Yoga with consistency. Goodness, I have a love-hate relationship with planks and Chaturangas [push ups], but they work.
And have fun. Okay, exercising at 5 a.m. is not fun. I felt like a zombie this morning. It took me 6 minutes to convince my body to get on the darn machine, but I did it. 60 minutes on the spin bike is done for the day. And tomorrow is another day. I've thought of exercising twice a day. Breaking up the strength training from cardio, but I can't conceive of that happening. I just don't see where I have the time nor energy. Yes, exercise will bring the energy--yada, yada, yada.
Hubby is bringing over one of his strength and conditioning guys to teach us Kettlebells. Yeah, kettlebells. He trains our Men's Hockey Team. His wife is a rock start trainer too. I thought I would be excited. I am terrified. Post on that soon.
Hubby is bringing over one of his strength and conditioning guys to teach us Kettlebells. Yeah, kettlebells. He trains our Men's Hockey Team. His wife is a rock start trainer too. I thought I would be excited. I am terrified. Post on that soon.
JOURNALING:
Weight Watchers encourages tracking. That means me writing every single, darn thing that I put in my mouth. As much as I hate it, and I do mean hate, I have to do it. I have to be accountable for what I do to myself. Seeing it on paper will help me resolve my issues on a daily basis. Why do I resist it? Because I am a perfectionist; classic perfectionist. If I miss a day, I am done. If I can't do it perfectly, I won't do it at all. And there is the added fear of becoming addicted to writing everything. I fear having so much control over my eating, writing it down, controlling portions, writing that down, losing weight, then maybe losing conscious control of the loss of weight. In essence, I fear that this will become another addiction. There I said it. My overeating is an addiction; and I fear under-eating will become one too. Crazy? Maybe.
GIVING BACK:
I'm having lunch on Friday with a new friend. She is a triathlete. Skinny as a rail. And she had a heart attack a few months ago. Yes, a heart attack. She has done a small triathalon since. She travels a lot. She went to California for business, came back home to run a 5K for Girls On The Run, and flew back to California to complete her business. She is insane. I told her as much. But I am so inspired by her commitment to fitness and wellness and young women's issues.
So I asked if we could talk about creating a Girls On The Run program at my daughter's school. My daughter is finally the age to be in the program. The young girls in our school are primarily African American and Latina girls. These are the groups that statistically have higher incidence of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Cheap food is bad food; and cheap food is all that most of these families can afford. I want girls to have a better start in their lives; especially in self esteem and confidence through fitness. I don't want them to be like the young girl I was before college: a teenager weighing 225 lbs. It isn't right . . . for anyone.
I am printing off the info packet. I plan to write a proposal to the school's Principal (my son and him have a very special relationship seeing as he gets sent there often). And I hope to start up the program in the Spring. My only concern is costs. These girls come from very low income homes. I don't think that the membership fees can be paid for. So I am looking into grants and donations.
See, I am over committed. But if I can get one girl to love running and keep that for the rest of her life, then it will be all worth it. I'll be Super Gal for this cause.
Do you give back "wellness" wise? If so, what do you do? If not, what would you like to do?
GIVING BACK:
I'm having lunch on Friday with a new friend. She is a triathlete. Skinny as a rail. And she had a heart attack a few months ago. Yes, a heart attack. She has done a small triathalon since. She travels a lot. She went to California for business, came back home to run a 5K for Girls On The Run, and flew back to California to complete her business. She is insane. I told her as much. But I am so inspired by her commitment to fitness and wellness and young women's issues.
So I asked if we could talk about creating a Girls On The Run program at my daughter's school. My daughter is finally the age to be in the program. The young girls in our school are primarily African American and Latina girls. These are the groups that statistically have higher incidence of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Cheap food is bad food; and cheap food is all that most of these families can afford. I want girls to have a better start in their lives; especially in self esteem and confidence through fitness. I don't want them to be like the young girl I was before college: a teenager weighing 225 lbs. It isn't right . . . for anyone.
I am printing off the info packet. I plan to write a proposal to the school's Principal (my son and him have a very special relationship seeing as he gets sent there often). And I hope to start up the program in the Spring. My only concern is costs. These girls come from very low income homes. I don't think that the membership fees can be paid for. So I am looking into grants and donations.
See, I am over committed. But if I can get one girl to love running and keep that for the rest of her life, then it will be all worth it. I'll be Super Gal for this cause.
Do you give back "wellness" wise? If so, what do you do? If not, what would you like to do?
Rosa, first I love the picture and the super hero comment. Your photos rock! I give it to you for waking up at 5 a.m. to work out. It's gotta be challenging but good for you for following through. I too need to add more exercise. Working out at lunch and zumba doesn't seem to be getting the weight off. Weights sound like a good option. I'm impressed that you're going to learn kettlebells. Seems a little hardcore but that's because I have absolutely no upper body strength.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea in starting the running program at the school. Your kids are very lucky to have you as their mom.
Sounds like you have a great plan. You can do this...