Week 12: Almost the End

Well this week got away from me as I'm sure you figured with me writing Week 12's post on the morning of Week 13's meeting.  The last meeting of Commit to Get Fit.

I think the "Last meeting" is the real cause for my delay.  I couldn't think of anything to write this week, like anything at all.  Tonight I will set up a time to get my final assessment.  My weight, measurements, fitness testing will be wrapped up and I will be able to show you what I've been able to do in the last three months and that's all anyone wants to know anyway.  Sorry, I won't put that on you, the final assessment is all I want to know.     

Week 12 just seems boring in comparison.  I did learn a few things that surprised me though.

1. My body is used to exercise:  No one was more shocked about this than me.  Emelia and I got some crazy super stomach bug at the beginning of last week.  I didn't go to the gym for four days and I was sure that I was going to be complete junk on my first day back.  I wasn't.  I did my best I've done running (faster and longer than before) and I felt amazing after.  My body was so happy with me to get back to it that it rewarded me with some bonus motivation. 

2. I figured out what my exercise sweet spot is: This one also shocked me but I realized this one moment in my workout is the reason that I have become addicted to going to the gym.  Everyday I go in search of the exact moment when I go from feeling lethargic and sluggish with my brain telling me to quit to finding energy and knowing I can finish.  Some days that happens sooner than others and there have been a few times that it hasn't shown up at all but when it does I hold on to that accomplishment for the rest of the day.  I can't get enough of it!

3. I have to reteach myself to shop: I finally went out to spend some gift cards that I had been holding onto since Christmas and my birthday.  It was a successful shopping trip (or so I thought).  Everything I tried on worked and it's been a long time since that has happened but over this past week as I've worn the clothes, I realized that I bought everything at least a size too big (or more).  I realize there are worse problems to have but at the same time I don't go shopping that often and in a few weeks I don't think I'm even going to be able to wear the jeans I bought.  After an hour (of wearing and stretching out) they were falling off of me.   I think while I'm in the losing weight phase I shouldn't be allowed to shop by myself.  I am a bit smaller but in the store I still see the old me. That's a post for another day, though.

4. I have the best friends and family: This one I didn't just figure out this week.  I've known for quite some time that I am very lucky to be surrounded with such  wonderful, supportive people.   Thank you all for your continued love and support throughout this and all of my journeys.  I want to assure you that even though my meetings end tonight, the fight to lose will continue long (long) after.  It has been really exciting to share all of this adventure with you and I look forward sharing more milestones in the future.  Thank you all of you for being so wonderful and being part of my life! 

 

Disclosure: I am being compensated with a membership to this program but the opinions and the sweat are all my own. http://seacoastsportsclubs.com

 

Week 11: I'm Not Getting Any Younger

I've been feeling a lot of emotions over the last week as I go into the final few weeks of the Commit to Get Fit program. 

I'm feeling worried about leaving behind my wonderful support system.

I have come to love my Tuesday night meetings that have proven to not only give me support, new ideas and new motivation they also get me back on track when I slip up.  Which, since Christmas has been a much more important aspect of the meetings.     In two weeks, that support will be over and I will have to find new ways to get back on track and keep myself accountable.   The thought of being on my own scares me but I keep telling myself that I have more than enough knowledge now to keep this up, I just need to do it.    

I am feeling anxious for the final assessment.

I know I have lost weight but worry it's not what I had hoped it would be when I started.  Then there are all of the other parts of the assessment that have got my anxiety levels up.   What will my measurements be and my body fat percentage? What will my resting and recovery heart rates look like?  They have to be better right?  Hopefully....though the thing that has got me the most anxious is the push ups.  I don't know what it is about those @#*% but I cannot do them to save my life.   I am much closer now but my upper body strength is non existent and though I have been lifting weights and attempting push up everyday I'm not sure if I will be able to do them when it comes time.  Wish me luck!

I am feeling inspired. 

If you had asked me last week what I was feeling I would have said regretful.  I have been enjoying exercising and losing weight but there has been this nagging voice in my head over the last two and a half months that has been saying, "Too bad you weren't doing this for the last ten (eleven, twelve??) years...you could be in great shape without the stretch marks blah, blah, blah"    When I went to my meeting on Tuesday I couldn't shake the feeling of regret but then I got there and looked around and got re-inspired by all of the wonderful people and their unique journeys.  I realized sitting there that right at that moment I was the youngest I was ever going to be again and for the first time it wasn't a negative thought.  I was looking at all of these different people in different stages of their lives and realized that whenever anyone (me) decides to start improving their lives, it is a good time.  You can't change the past but you can work on the present to improve the future and that idea has uplifted me.


I am feeling motivated.

The motivation wave that I have been riding that has helped me get my health and fitness back on track is now pushing me to want change other aspects of my life.  I have been so wrapped up in being a mom for the past nine years that I have not been making time for myself.  Through this program I have found time for myself to workout (which has been amazing!) but has made me a little greedy for more.    Now I am working on finding (more) time to see friends (and maybe even my husband!).  It is so easy to lose yourself when you are always putting other people's needs above your own and slowly I would like to start remembering what it is that I like to do. 



  So, there you go: worried, anxious, inspired, motivation all swirling around in my head at the same time but luckily have left me feeling mostly positive about the future.   I have a lot of work to do and it won't be over in two weeks when my meetings are done.  There is always more time to improve more things and though deadlines are super helpful in motivating me the reality that this is a lifelong journey also helps. 

What is something in your life that you would like to change for the future you?

Disclosure: I am being compensated with a membership to this program but the opinions and the sweat are all my own. http://seacoastsportsclubs.com

Week 10: Christmas Break From Reality

Christmas break.   A perfect description of what the last two weeks have been. 

I took a break all right, a break from:

Routine
Eating Well
Normalcy

In case you were wondering, no I did not do that well over Christmas break. In spite of my lapse, I was pumped to go to my Commit meeting last night.  I needed to stop the madness and get back to the plan as well as reassure myself that I was not the only one who struggled through the holidays. 

It was just what I needed.  We flip flopped the meeting this week and started with the exercise first which happened to be one of my favorite classes, Body Combat.

I can not say enough about this class.  It is a serious workout that combines several forms of martial arts that literally kick your butt every time.  I am dying by the end but feel totally amazing (and sore) afterwards.  I look forward to the two combat classes I take all week long1

After the workout we had our regular meeting which did just what I had hoped.  It got me feeling like "back on track" was not that far away.  I commiserated with other members about not doing so well over the holidays but was also  uplifted by the idea that my bad now is nowhere near as horrible as my bad would have been before this program.  That thought had not even entered my mind before last night.  All I could think about was my lack of self control and that I was messing up. 

Yes, I indulged in things that were not suggested but for most of the days I stuck to my plan and I think I only missed one day of exercise each week.  So, while I do regret not having more control over my holiday decisions I left last nights meeting knowing that those bad decisions don't have to ruin everything from here on out.  It is just time to get back to work.

Last night we also talked a lot about STRESS.  What are our individual triggers and patterns for dealing with stress as well as new ways to deal with stress in a healthier way.   These healthier ways to deal with stress include: mediation, yoga, tai chi, exercise and deep breathing to name a few.

Since this may be the first year ever that I don't have start an exercise routine as one of my New Year's resolutions (Yeah!) I have decided to try and incorporate some meditation into my daily routine to try and help quiet my over active brain.  Since I have a hard enough time getting my thoughts in order, I decided to use an aid.  I have been going to You Tube to find guided meditations that I can do through the computer.  You have to go through them though and find ones that work for you.  Some of them are quite out there!  I've been starting with ones that are around 10 minutes, which right now seems to be my limit for sitting quietly. 

If anyone is interested here is a link (to one I don't find too terribly fruity) to help get you started. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-klfBJlHc


Happy New Year to you all!

Disclosure: I am being compensated with a membership to this program but the opinions and the sweat are all my own. http://seacoastsportsclubs.com

Week 9: Two Months of Routines

My normal day, these days, starts with a healthy breakfast, getting the kids ready, dropping Max off at school and then going to the gym.  It has become a welcome routine that allows me to start off my day with an accomplishment. A check mark off my to-do list that allows me to be more productive throughout the rest of my day.   I don't have to think about it or argue with myself, its just what I do and it's been working good.

This week has been a different story.  For those of you who know me this should come as no surprise but I'm a little behind on my Christmas to-do list.  As a result this week I have been running around like a chicken with it's head chopped off.  I have still been getting my workouts in but they have been all over the place whenever I can fit them into schedule. 

Now in my head I know that exercise is exercise and it shouldn't matter when I do it but (for me) it doesn't feel the same.   It hangs over my head all day long until I get it done and for some reason it seems so much harder later in the day.  I know it's all in my head but after this week I've found that my routine works for me.  I know how to eat to fuel my workouts and how to eat the rest of the day after but when I work out later everything gets messed up and I end up messing up.  It shouldn't be that hard but for me the routine seems to be very key in my success.

My crazy week even intruded on my meeting.  An unexpected issue with my brakes left me without a car and missing my first meeting yet.  I was totally bummed out but luckily I got to sit down withing with Chris after class last night to go over what I missed. (A huge thank you to my totally supportive Commit Leaders Meg and Chris.  They are the best!!)

My routine took a beating this week but my dedication to getting healthier didn't and that is quite an accomplishment for me.  Like the first time ever in my life that I didn't let a few bumps knock me off course.   It gives me hope that this lifestyle is one that I will keep up with long after Commit to Get Fit ends.   

I have been following this program for two months now and can't believe I only have one month left.  It really has been a wonderful way to both end this year and start the next.   Going through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's while eating nutritiously may sound like torture to some but for me has given me a sense of control that makes up for all of the missed treats.  Plus I am already ahead of the game on making a New Year's resolution. 

Now this last month I plan on reinforcing everything we have learned to make sure that it sticks in real life after my meetings end.  I also have to put it into full gear on the push ups!  I need to be able to do some!! 



1 month to go!!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday week! 

Disclosure: I am being compensated with a membership to this program but the opinions and the sweat are all my own. http://seacoastsportsclubs.com

Week 8: Positive Eating Habits

This week during the meeting we discussed positive and negative behaviors that many of us have in regards to food. It was surprisingly on point to what I've been experiencing in my life lately.

  I talked a bit last week about how I was starting to get bored with my food and exercise routine and while I got re-energized in the exercise department by throwing in more group classes, I am still floundering a bit in the food department. I've been feeling uninspired lately and as a result have been redeveloping some of my old bad behaviours.

• Waiting too long to eat meals
• Eating too fast
• Eating in front of the t.v.
• Not planning my day
• Throwing my diet out the window if I stumble a bit

In this week's class we talked about solutions to these negative behaviours and once again I left the meeting feeling more in control.  I had not messed everything up.  I am learning how to live my life differently and that takes time to get under control. 

 I left with some new plans to combat my sneaky bad habits.

1. Schedule my meals: With this new style of eating I don't feel as a hungry as a did before and as a result I forget to eat.  (Believe me this is nothing I ever thought would happen!)  The problem is that when I forget to eat, I am eventually famished and eat something I shouldn't just because I'm starving.  So this week I have been working on eating at specific times, especially with lunch which seems to be my biggest problem.  So far, it's been doing the trick.
2. Slowing down while I eat: Eating fast is hardwired into my DNA.  I grew up eating fast and never thought anything about it until my husband attended my family's Thanksgiving for the first time.  He was halfway through dinner when everyone finished eating and got up from the table.  His confused expression clued me in that perhaps this was not normal behaviour.    I'm not really sure why but dinner time was always get down to business time and to this day I have to work hard to fight that inclination. 
3. Eating at the table:  I love when we sit down at the table and it is shear laziness that stops me from doing it every night.  Just like writing, exercising and eating right, sitting at the table takes a little effort but always makes me feel better when I make time to do it. 
4. Planning my meals: This is along the same lines of scheduling my meals but has to do more with planning out my food for the day and the week.  Knowing at the beginning of the day what I'm going to be having and how it fits into my nutritional requirements removes the quick, less nutritious, grabs that I have a tendency to sneak in.  
5. Realizing this is a lifelong eating plan: My oatmeal cookie problem this week was a direct result of feeling a bit deprived.  I indulge and then keep indulging because I was "bad".  That thinking is the result of feeling that this eating plan is temporary.  In reality, there are times that I may include a less nutritious component into my diet but as long as I do it with planning and control I will retain control over my diet.   Eating one oatmeal cookie once in a while is fine, eating many oatmeal cookies because I already screwed up my diet is a habit that needs to stop. 

In addition to these small changes I have also been trying to keep myself focused on the idea that this journey doesn't have an expiration date.  I think with the some of the weight loss shows that are on t.v. these days you feel like you should be able to lose massive amounts of weight in short periods of time.  In reality, weight loss takes time and as long as you (by you I mean me) are continuing to go in the right direction then your goal will happen.

I would love to hear solutions to how you may have changed some negative behaviours in your life.  

Disclosure: I am being compensated with a membership to this program but the opinions and the sweat are all my own. http://seacoastsportsclubs.com

Week 7: Getting Out of a Slump

I know over the past six weeks I have been quite optimistic (and I still am) but last week optimism wasn't the emotion I was feeling.

It was one of those weeks where my life seemed to take me over.  The kids both got sick then I got sick and after that everything felt like drudgery.  My workout was boring, my food was boring and I didn't feel like I had it in me to give my all to anything.  The enthusiasm that I had been feeling over the last month and a half had left the building. 

After a two day break from the gym, I had to force myself to go back.  It's amazing how your mind can try to sway you...

"You're not feeling better yet, are you?"  
"Why don't you just snuggle on the couch...you can always work out tomorrow."

I fought it and forced myself out of the house on Sunday morning.  The sun was starting to peak out but there was still snow all over the place.  I was carrying Emelia down the stairs when we hit a patch of ice and slipped down the bottom two steps.

There is nothing more humbling than falling on your butt. Though you know that everyone has done it and that it sucks for everyone, in that moment it feels like only you could do something so stupid.

I scraped my wrist and Emelia was crying (which I later found out was because she scraped her back, poor girl) and as I sat there in the snow and the mud, I had two choices:

1. Turn around and put my jammies back on and cuddle on that couch that kept calling my name.
2. Brush myself off and get my butt (my now sore butt) to the gym.

I pulled myself together, wiped myself off and picked choice #2. 

(I am asking you all here and now to remind me how good I feel when I exercise.  How it changes my whole day when I do.  If you see me slacking, I give you permission to give me crap and remind me that it will change my day for the better.) 

I took my second Zumba class and felt amazing afterwards.  I realized that maybe I was in a bit of a slump and that maybe my same old routine was to blame for my lack of enthusiasm.  The treadmill and I had been logging a lot of miles together and grilled chicken on salad and I were spending a lot of meals together.   

It was time to shake things up. 

Time to plan different meals and different workouts.  Time to re-engerize.

So I did and I think this week has been one of the best because of those changes. (Here we go again  back with the enthusiasm)

I decided to throw a few more classes into my week.  I added Body Combat and Body Pump to my rotation and had two of my best workouts so far.   I've been working on changing up my meals too. 

I'm sure these times will come up again.  Actually I surprised I hadn't encountered one sooner but next time hopefully I won't let it get me down.  I might just need to throw in something new. 

What do you do when your will to workout has gone away?

Disclosure: I am being compensated with a membership to this program but the opinions and the sweat are all my own. http://seacoastsportsclubs.com

The Differences Between Them

My kids are so different.   They are seven years apart and on completely different levels on almost every way.

Over the past month, Max has been studying rocks and minerals in school and recently went to the Seacoast Science Center (We do spend a lot of time there!) to learn about rocks found on the seacoast.   I wasn't able to go on the field trip so for an entire week Max talked about the quartz that they saw...in the ground...right down the road...that we can see whenever we want!!  

We HAD to go see it. 

 

Exciting stuff!

In case you were at a loss, the quartz is the slightly greyer rock in the middle of the slightly tanner rocks.   Then we went in search of the quartz pebble that Max was sure had fallen off this immense quartz specimen.



Found it!!

Then Emelia went in search for a pebble she liked. 




It was cold that day but absolutely beautiful.  The sun was shining and the waves were crashing against the rocks.  I thought it might be the perfect moment to get my Christmas card picture for this year.  That was a stupid thought and of course no such luck.  I won't share the millions of failed pictures I took but most of them looked like this.  The endless search for a Christmas card picture is on and it doesn't look good.  



My kids are so different....

but lately I have witnessed some pretty serious moments of fun shared between the two of them.  Our trip to the Seacoast Science Center was definitely one.

This is not the best picture but I couldn't resist a secret shot of the two of them entranced with Frosty the Snowman.  Emelia sat in Max's lap for the whole show.  It was amazingly adorable. 



Though Emelia's sense of fashion design is all her own, her love of the guitar is entirely because of her brother.


And since she has left her biting phase (knock on wood...) Max has also been a little more accommodating to Emelia's need to squeeze up against him at all times


Though none of us understand her new fascination with kitchen bowls, Max even put up with that for a while.


There is always a breaking point and Max will usually reach his after a little while but these days my two very different kids are hanging together way more than I had ever hoped possible. 

After almost two years of wondering if the age gap between my kids was too great I have been have been happily putting those worries to rest. 


Don't fret...they'll be something else to worry about soon enough!