free days and free weights
the ankle is better. still sore and feels a little…lose, maybe is the word? sometimes it’s like nothing is wrong with it, other times, i feel like if i turn the wrong way it’s going to pop. regardless, i hope i am 100% soon.
this week i really did the first actual body for life type week. and today was my cheat day. it felt really odd to be eating mexican food and having some margaritas…but this was my cheat day. well, i think bill philips calls it your free day, because technically it’s not cheating if it is built into the plan. i feel a bit sick from eating “free” after eating so clean all week. maybe that is the point of the free day: it puts you back on track the rest of the week. if i can just get my exercise going back when the ankle feels better, i feel like i will be on my way. (i did lose 3 pounds this week)
but, i am confused with some of the body for life exercise. i need a run down. i read the book. i have scoured the body for life website. i just do not know how to put the plan together. i get the cardio. it’s the strength training, the free weights. i don’t know which ones to do…how many for each muscle group. with that i could use some advice from anyone who has/is been on the program.
the trip off the deck
today started off like any normal day. coffee was brewed first. then the baby fed. then the other two kids rioting. all this entails a normal day in our household. then the unexpected and almost embarrassing happened: i fell off the deck. Read the rest of this entry »
but what to read?
i had spent a while figuring out what to eat, but now another problem: what to read? i love harry potter. i have read all the books numerous times, and since the last book came out almost a year ago, i have read nothing but the potters. before deathly hallows came out, i re-read 1-6, then read 7 twice. then i decided, hey, i think i will read the series as a set, and started over again. and again. and again. it is a never ending circle. in one of the books, rowling talks about books that had been enchanted and you could never stop reading it, having to do everything “one handed”. not sure if she was making a reference to her own books, but this has been the case for me! and i know it will just start up again because Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie comes out in november. and of course i will have to read that book again. and maybe the ones before. and so the circle goes.
so please, i need suggestions for something to read! i am completely happy reading the potters, but i want a new series. it’s going to be hard to start something as wonderful as these books, but i need something!
Suggestions?
slowing down
it’s only the mid-end of june, but our summer is slowing down immensely. no more weddings or birthdays. just the dull days of summer. and i could not be more excited.
i am glad to say i made it through the weekend of wedding parties and receptions with zero weight gain. no loss, but no gain. maybe it was all the dancing from the reception. maybe i am just being more conscious of what i am eating and drinking. either way, it feels like this change to be healthier is starting to penetrate my brain.
so, i can set my summer goal. i have 2 months until i have to go back to work. in those months, i would love to be back at my pre-henry weight. granted, i have a while to go after i reach that weight, but i’m ok with that. i am viewing this as a marathon, not a sprint. and i think i have the tools to make it.
this blog is one. there is an accountability, be it with the world wide web, but it helps. and there is also the plan i have of making my meals based on natural foods like lean proteins and veggies. it’s amazing how gross you feel eating something overly starchy and sugary, when your body is getting used to eating more clean.
and now to the last tool: exercise. it’s been baby steps for me getting my body back. first making the decision. then eating better. now i am ready to add the exercise. i used to do the firm workout program and it really helped to keep my body toned and lean. i guess i am a little scared to start it again. it’s easy to deny you are out of shape when you aren’t working out. the minute you start back again, you see what your body has lost in terms of endurance and strength. i think i have been afraid to find out how far out of it i am. but, today will be my first real workout with weights and cardio. i will let you know how it goes. summer may be slowing down, but i am speeding up.
the right now…
why is it that when i started a blog, i started in the thick of the summer? we have had parties and weddings for the past few weeks and it has made blogging become a luxury of time. so, today i scheduled my blogging, because i feel like i eat better when i write.
in the past few weeks, since getting back to blogging, i have started to be very conscious about what i am putting in my mouth. perhaps writing about losing weight is actually making it work! not like dumbo’s magic feather, but writing has shown me exactly how unhappy extra weight has made me. how it changes not who you are, but how you act and the things you do. i am less daring now. less likely to go out with new people. simply because i do not like how i look. how lame is that? i am giving up the good things in life, because of a temporary weight. this motivates me more than anything. am i willing to miss memories of this year, for my own self-consciousness?
the answer was no. maybe, hell no, if we are to get dramatic. i am not willing to let this control how i feel and how i live.
just wondering if anyone else feels like they give things up when they are unhappy in one area of life. doesn’t necessarily have to be weight and appearance. what else in your life has been so impacting, that it made you give up the “right now” and postpone it until your situation was fixed?
cafe, anyone?
looks like that morning cup of joe might be good for you. that is, if you drink 6 cups! coffee drinking may be tied with a decrease in the chance of heart disease, especially for women. i was glad to find this since i am still out of diet coke and drinking coffee and water throughout the day. today i was extremely tired for some reason. and i turned 30 this morning. hmmmm….is there a connection? suddenly tired. suddenly 30. pour me another cup!
manic monday
the weekend has come and gone, and i for one am glad. after eating so clean for a few days, my system hit birthday overload. which is fine because it’s once a year, but is bad because i can see it today in my face. maybe that is me being crazy, but so call me.
we went to the store last night and bought lots of protein and veggies. some lo fat dairy. i forgot the diet coke. i know, diet coke can make you crave sugar and get bloated. but it can also make a day with three children 5 and under go a little more smoothly, so back off.
we have a wedding this weekend. my only female cousin is getting hitched. we are excited for her. the only thing i hate, and i mean hate, is that i am having to go see the whole family with much more weight on than the last time i saw them. granted, i have an 8 week old, but it is still hard for me. gayden and i talked about meeting/seeing people when you have gained weight. people that never knew think you are just fat, and those that have known you before think you have just let yourself go. so much perception is tied to weight. we may try not to judge, but people do. i think it’s almost natural. even if you aren’t judging the person, you are wondering how they ended up fat with all the diets being crammed down our collective throats. i’ve done it. and i am sure people will be doing it to me. this is motivation enough to not let it go again. yes, i have some baby weight. some from the 8 week old. and some from the 4 year old. but i have to claim it, own it and get rid of it.
so, again, we end up with the mindset being changed. this is not about dieting. this is about the rest of my life and the way it should be eaten.
time to party
i am so glad that people are getting involved with this blog. clark, thank you for joining us! i never intended for this to be gals only, because weight gain is an equal opportunity employer. so please feel free to give us points and answer questions for us, because i have a few about body for life.
this is a light post today. we are having a party tonight for my 30th. i don’t actually turn 30 til next week, but this was the best time to do it for us. tonight is my cheat night. i have planned for it and am ready to indulge a bit with starters, dinner, dessert and drinks. amber will be joining me in the decadence. and i do not feel bad for indulging tonight. i have being good all week so that i could have fun tonight.
body for life…this was the way i kept weight off in college. i think that i loved about it was that: 1) i could have a cheat day and 2) the food is very clean and unprocessed. i do have some questions for clark about the workout portion so i think i will save those for tomorrow. for tonight, it’s wine, risotto and creme brulee!
