Making a Pledge - to myself

I have addressed how I benefit from logging, blogging and mindful eating.  What I haven't yet addressed is exercise.   In the past, I've mentioned how exercise is my "nemesis",  my "waterloo", my absolutely biggest challenge!   Too often, I have to force myself to MOVE!   I know too well, however, that it is a vital component of this journey.  I do know one can lose weight without adding exercise to their program - albeit at a slower pace.   However, for me, it's not just about "losing weight" - it's more about being healthy!   I have discussed my knee issues (near bone on bone) and how lap swimming with fins and a kickboard has strengthened my legs - compensating in part for the weak knees I have.   Whenever I've stopped swimming - usually when traveling - I feel the pain all over again!   Then I return to swimming and - voila! - the pain goes away!   I alternate swimming with walking - as both address different muscles.  I am aware that I will also need to add weight training so that I can strengthen all my muscles, not only my legs.  I'm also looking into taking a Tai Chi class - which will help with balance and control.

I am borrowing the pledge above and taking ownership of my need to exercise with this as a reminder:

I,  Elizabeth Smith (my formal name),  will be physically active for me, so that I may live longer and feel better.

I will work through my barriers to being active.

I will set activity goals and rewards, get support and track my progress.

I will build up being active and I will choose activities I like to do.

So what have I done this week to address the issue of exercise?

I exercised for 35 to 40 minutes three times this week  (I still have tomorrow so I might well make it four times...).    It's a good start, but it's one I need to build on.   I alternated swimming and walking.   Twice, I attempted to do both in one day - but alas, I need to build up my strength as I was unable to!

I do have a Scale Victory to report today - down three pounds already!  Three pounds in less than a week is phenomenol for me - as I'm usually a "snail" when it comes to losing weight.   However, I cannot become complacent!  If anything, I need to celebrate this and then use it as motivation to keep on keeping on this journey.

A Fresh Start - and a Focus on Mindful Eating

I've redesigned my blog - not major changes, but it does have a fresh look to it which I like!  It also has given me the fresh new feeling which one often has when he/she has decided to start anew. It is indeed "a new beginning".

I have now been tracking my food and exercise for two days.  It actually feels good to be doing both the blogging and the tracking/logging!   I realize now how much it gives me the feeling of being in control, and keeps me accountable.   I want to share a part of an article mentioned by Flo, another DWLZ buddy and co-blogger - on the reasons why keeping a food journal is helpful:

Diet and exercise are only part of the equation when it comes to eating healthier and losing weight. The rest is in your head, and for many people, that's where the real battle is won or lost. To keep your head in the right place, consider keeping a food diary, or a regular log of what you've eaten and when. We don't mean counting calories either (although that can be helpful too.) The simple act of recording your meals forces you to think about what you ate, when you ate it, and how large your portions were.   
 excerpt from article by Alan Henry ("Keeping a Daily Food Diary to Track Your Diet, Lose Weight, and Build Healthy Habits")

I underlined the last line of this as I believe it is what makes or breaks us when we are trying to lose weight - or another way of saying this is "mindful eating".  Mindful eating truly means being fully aware of what we eat, when we eat and how much we eat!   For me, keeping a food journal is the tool that helps me be mindful of what I eat.  In fact, I've been recording most of what I eat in the evening but I now I think that it would be better if I recorded what I plan to eat early in the day.  

As I reflect more and more on the  concept of mindful eating,  it seems that I am coming closer to understanding what works best for me.  Maybe, just maybe I'll find "the key" which opens the door and helps me discover why I've not been as successful as I would like to be, and, more importantly,  helps me reach my goals/dreams of becoming healthier!     your head in the right place, consider keeping a food diary, or a regular log of what you've eaten and when. We don't mean counting calories either (although that can be helpful too.) The simple act of recording your meals forces you to think about what you ate, when you ate it, and how large your portions were.

A Motivational Poster That Says It All!

Wow!   This motivational poster could not have expressed my reasons for reviving my journey better!   Every single reason speaks to me personally!  Truth be told, I have felt my energy being zapped from me lately, I am having more difficulty doing what keeps me active,  I feel my health declining,  I am no longer able to fit into too many outfits in my closet, and I so want to be there for my children and grandchildren!  I have gained way too many pounds since last year (2011) - I've gotten way back to the 200's after promising myself I would not ever do so!   I can no longer say "it's just a number" as I am also feeling the unhealthy repercussions of weight gain - which is basically the antithesis of each of the items in the above poster.   I can add one more - I am just uncomfortable at this weight!  I don't even sleep as well as I used to, and I'm usually a sound sleeper!  

Ok...so now that I've faced the situation square in the face, what am I going to do about it?   First of all, I am back to blogging!   Blogging helps me in so many ways.  As I write,  I find that I cannot hide from the truth.   Blogging gives me "lightbulb" moments when certain realizations come alive as it forces me to ponder seriously what is truly happening on this journey of mine.   For example, it just came to me a few moments ago that my journey is not a straight and narrow road - I take detours, run into obstacles, or I move several steps forward, and then, unfortunately, find myself taking as many or more steps backwards...so it's not that I got off my journey; it's more that I got caught in an emotional upheaval.  I went into a slump when I lost my Mom in September, and then regressed for weeks afterwards.  I'm not beating myself up about it as I realize that mourning a loved one affects our lives in different ways.  However, I am starting to find myself again - and I'm now more than ready to address the areas in my life that I have neglected these past few months.

I'm also returning to Weight Watchers - but this time doing it exclusively online.  My support system will be my husband who will be doing WW with me, and my children who have always been supportive of my journey.  I also have my friends, both on and offline.   I will "use" my support system as much as possible as I recognize the fact that having a support system is not only important but will also facillitate my journey.

Weight Watchers Online consists mainly of an exercise log and food tracking journal - along with advice and recipes and other resources.  I will make use of both the log and journal - and try to do so DAILY!   They both keep me accountable - and serve as a "history" and "record" of my progress, or lack thereof.   I do not see WW as a "diet" - rather I see it as a way to eat mindfully.  It's not just about counting points - in fact, that's the least important part of the program.  If one truly follows the WW way of eating (healthy oils, several servings a day of vegetables and fruits,etc) then what it really does is help us to create healthy/balanced meals as a permanent lifestyle!  It's not pefect, of course, so one does need to tweak the program so that it fits each of us individually.

My next blog entry will be a continued discussion of how I tailor WW to fit my individual needs as well as how I'm melding other resources/aids to assist me on this journey.

Getting Back on Track/ A New Beginning

    After a nearly three month hiatus,  I am finally returning to my blog!  It's not that I've gotten completely off track - it's more that I haven't tracked much of what I've been doing  and so my journey is lacking in accountability and consistency.   Without accountability, it's easy for me to become very lackadaisical rather than focused.   The result is I've gained weight rather than lost weight.    I've decided I need to get back to tracking my journey - and blogging is one of three components I will be taking on this week.   The other two are keeping a food journal and an exercise journal - both of which I will do with Weight Watchers' e-tools.   The latter two will begin this Saturday, December 1st - I will be signing up for three months which will get me well into the New Year.

   It would be great if I could "do it on my own" without having to write down each morsel, log each mile,  and write a self-report on my blog.  However, I've tried doing it without all of these, and for me, it just doesn't work.   I must have a way to be accountable, if only to myself.   I also need support - which I do receive from my family and a few friends, but also via spiritual readings and meditation, which is something that has always helped me overcome any and all challenges in my life.

  I will revisit the 100 Day Challenge which is what my blog was based on when I first started it back in January - but  I will only dwell on the topics that relate to me.   Perhaps by the time I complete the next three months on WW e-tools, I will complete the topics in the challenge.  More importantly, I'm hoping that by then I will be well on my way to reaching my personal goals!  I will re-state my goals in the coming week - as I need to be reminded as to why I decided to take on this journey.

  Since this is a "new beginning", I will not continue the 100 Days Challenge. I will however take on topics from the Challenge that pertain to me as points of discussion.  

100 Days Challenge - Day 45 - The Importance of Food, and Setting New Exercise Goals

"Achievement seems to be connected
with action. Successful men and
women keep moving. They make
mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton 

 I am thrilled to say that I did not just meet my fitness goals this past week, but surpassed my goal  - and did so by exercising  205 minutes rather than the 165 minutes I had set as a goal for myself!  At the beginning of last week, I had set 165 minutes as my goal as I had decided to add ten minutes to the 155 minutes I had exercised the week before last.  This means that I actually exercised FIFTY minutes more than I did the previous week!  What a reversal that is from my usual  - as so often I end up NOT making my goal!    Since exercise has always been my biggest "nemesis", surpassing my exercise goal is truly a significant accomplishment for me.   Yay, me!!!  : )

The "downside" is can I match this during the coming week?  I will temper this by saying that originally, I said I would add ten minutes to my exercise goals each week - so I will set my goal for the coming week at between 150 to 175 minutes.   One reason I feel a need to be a bit "conservative" with my goal for this week is because I am at a "crossroads" with my lap swimming routine.   As of this week, the Y pool is temporarily closed until January of next year - which means I have to make a decision about where I'll be swimming during that time period.  I must choose between our local community center indoor pool or consider going to another Y across town.   The local community center pool is considerably closer but I need to try it out and see if it will work out for lap swimming.  

I'm also picking up where I left off on the "100 Days Challenge" as I would like to complete at least the first 50 "days" before leaving for our rather long trip this month.   The topic for Day 45 is "Food - Is it Important or Not".    This is the introduction to the topic:

Designate specific times to let food be important, then other times, treat it as being unimportant. Since you can’t make food special all the time, be selective with when you call it important. When you spend time with others, you can still choose to let food be unimportant, and instead, focus on giving love and attention to the people around you.

I had two luncheons this past week with friends.  I can honestly say that I have very little recollection of how the food I ate tasted as my focus was on connecting with friends I had not seen for a while.   On the other hand, I indulged in a piece of chocolate today - and definitely paid attention to the wonderful taste of the velvety chocolate on my palate!   So I can say quite readily that I agree with the premises of "food sometimes being important and sometimes being completely irrelevant" which is a summary of the above statement.  I believe the message this translates to is food does not need to be the center of attention in our lives.  In fact, the less we make it the "center of attention", the better! Since we are going to be on a ten day cruise in a few weeks,  this is something I truly need to remember - as it is too easy to become too wrapped up in the food events on the ship.   I will need to get involved in the other ship's events and activities so that meals become less important.  That will be my challenge!

Update:  Well, I've tried out the community pool - and it will not work!   It's not heated and simply doesn't have the conveniences of the Y pool.  No locker room, just a very small dressing room with showers.   This means I'll be trekking across the mountain to the Y pool on the Westside - since that's the side of town where I visit my Mom in her foster care home.    I plan to go twice this week and alternate with walking/treadmill.

  

100 Days Challenge - Reflection

To reach a port, we must sail—

Sail, not tie at anchor—Sail, not drift.
Franklin Roosevelt

Amazing how quotes can truly illustrate an event in one's life. The one above is so a propos as we are preparing for a wonderful Fall New England/Canada cruise - one that has been on my "bucket list" for many years.  Of course the point which I believe is being made in the quote above by FDR is not to allow ourselves to drift aimlessly in life but to "sail towards a destination".  Similarly, one should not lose sight of one's fitness goals and one way to do this is to keep focused and keep moving!!!

Since I'm not ready to move on to the next topic quite yet, I'm going to spend time reflecting on the past week.   How did I do on my self-challenge?   Last Monday, I had written a schedule for the week which included five days of exercise.  I did not do as well as I had planned, but I also did not fail myself.  I got in 155 minutes of exercise spread throughout three days - which one could say averaged out to 30 + minutes of exercise per day for five days.   So maybe what I need to do is challenge myself to a certain amount of minutes per week - while adding 10 minutes or more each subsequent week.   That means that next week I will work towards at least 165 minutes of exercise.  Sounds more do-able to me!    I won't set up a schedule - I'll just alternate swimming and walking as many days as I can.

Unfortunately, I lost my e-tool membership on WW, mainly because I wasn't keeping up with it and did not update my credit card info.   I will not renew or re-join WW just yet, but will consider doing so when I return from our vacation cruise/trip to the East coast - either in October or November.  Meanwhile, I will journal my daily food intake until I leave on the 20th of next month - either here or on DWLZ website.   I will not journal during my vacation - won't be online, anyway - but I will focus on "mindful eating" as well as healthy eating (concentrating on veggies, fruit, yogurt, chicken and seafood).  I also plan on getting in lots of walking, both on the ship and off on shore excursions.   In fact,  I just replaced my pedometer just so I can record steps/miles/calories burned, etc.

Here's hoping for a good week!

100 Days Challenge - Day 44 - This is the Time!

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.“ – Carl Sandburg
“Monday is the key day of the week.“ – Proverb

I just noticed that my last blog post was exactly a month ago, on July 20.   It's time to get back  on track!   And what better way to do this than on a Monday, the beginning of a new week!

Day 44 of the 100 Day Challenge is asking us whether or not this is the right time to be on a weight loss program.   Sometimes life's events do overshadow our journey - and I would say that this is what affected the last couple weeks of my life.   We were on the verge of a major relocation with our family when a drastic turn of events forced us to place the move "on hold".   As a result, we had to change direction and make new plans.   There were also emotions to deal with - not only mine but other family members as well.   Time and patience will bring us together again as we work together to reset our goals and priorities.

My mantra for the coming weeks is to create more structure in my life as I'm now ready to move forward with a daily plan including healthy meals and regularly scheduled exercise.  I know too well that if I'm going to make my days productive, I will have to do it on my own. With that in mind,  this is my schedule of exercise for this week:

Monday - return to blogging, set up my weekly schedule

Tuesday -  morning walk and swimming  

Wednesday -   morning walk

Thursday - lap swimming

Friday - morning walk

Saturday - morning walk and lap swimming

My goal is at least five days of exercise varying from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours per day.  

I also plan to do a self-evaluation at the end of each week.