Motivation???

In this year, the year that I have claimed for my health, I have to say that I fell off the bandwagon for most of the month of February.  I feel like I could name a thousand reasons why but when it comes down to it I have to say that I do not have the true trait of discipline.  I have not been feeling well and it feels like it has been since December that this has been going on.  During the last three months I have had at least three major colds that have made me stay in bed for the entire weekend, come home from work and sleep until it was time to get back up and repeat the cycle again.  I still feel not completely recovered from this and due to this I give myself the excuse to eat horribly and not work out.  I am not even walking the dog around the block.  So my question to you is what do you do to restart?

Day 14: Meaningful Life

As you look at your life, think about all the people that come in and out of it each year.  The people that have stayed with you through it all and the people that touched your heart for just a short time and moved on.  Now think about all the amazing experiences that you have had.  Could food ever fill the shoes of those people or experiences?  When I reflect on this quote this is what I think about.  Food cannot replace the relationships or meaningful experiences that we have had through our life or the ones that have yet to come.  Join me this year in having more meaningful experiences over filling our body with food that we do not need.

Day 13: Stepping on the Scale…

Today I made the decision to step on the scale for the first time since Jan. 1st, 2013.  As always I was hoping for the best but fearing the worst.  I have done an amazing job this week eating healthy.  Getting up out of bed to walk in the morning is a different story.  My sleep is just too important to me :).  I did make it to the club three times this week so that is a check on one of my goals that I put forth.  As I looked down at the number I did not know what to expect 13 days into trying my very best to live a healthy lifestyle.  My mantra this year that gets played in my head and hung up in strategic places to give me encouragement is “one pound at a time.”  Thirteen days in and I am ten pounds down from the weight that I started from on day One.  I should be excited with this weight loss but I am fearful that I can gain it all back in one sitting.  As I look at the week ahead my goal is going to be to go to the club twice, take a long walk in the woods (I am going up north next weekend) and to continue to eat healthy.  I hope that the commitment that you made on January 1^st is going well!

Day 12: Frustration City…

It is in one email that my o.k. day went from going well to very bad. A student of mine frustrated with how math is going for him took the time to list all of the ways he feels that I am mistreating him.  I have been so blessed this year receiving notes, emails, and calls from both parents and students on my abilities not only to teach math but also on how I can relate and laugh with the Middle School Students.  When the email arrived in the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon it made me stop and ponder the merit on how the student was feeling.  I made the decision that I was not going to respond to him until Monday morning and told myself that I needed to put it in the back of my mind until I could deal with it at school.  This however did not happen.  During the evening I helped throw a bachelorette party for my sister. As much as I tried to stay in the moment, the email kept popping in my mind.  His frustration with me continued turned into my frustration with myself. I could not stay in the moment.  As I look back at the evening I think for the most part the party was a huge success.  We got to celebrate the bride to be and had fun in the process.  The only part of the night that I would have changed is the drive home.  Families often get the aftermath of a “bad” day.  My sister, the bride, got the brunt end of mine. Instead of talking about how nice the party was I started bickering with her about silly things.  It was a very maddening way to end the night for both of us.  As I reflect on the evening I realized that I let a situation that I could not control take over my mind.  This is something that I am going to have to work on in the future…

Day 11: Chocolate Long Johns

 My favorite doughnut in the entire world is a Chocolate Long John with sprinkles on top.  Sometimes just thinking about one makes my mouth water.  Today, one of my co-workers thinking that she was being thoughtful on this dreary day brought a box of freshly baked doughnuts right from the best bakery in town.  Right in the middle of the box was a sprinkled chocolate long john.  I contemplated in my head what I should do.  The easy choice would be to just walk away.  The choice I made the first three times I walked into the lounge.  The fourth time I remembered a conversation that I had over break with a group of friends.  One of them said, “If you are truly craving something.  You should have three bites of it and savor every moment.”  This is exactly what I did.  The craving went away and I did not ruin my healthy eating plan for the day on a silly doughnut!

Day 10: The Alarm Clock

Each morning I set my I-phone to go off in 15 minute intervals from 3:45 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.  It has only been three times in the last 10 days that I have gotten up the first time my alarm has gone off.  Today by far was the hardest.  I did not make it out the door with the dog until 4:45 a.m.  This meant that the mile in a half that I planned on walking turned into what I like to call a 1K (.7 miles).  Yesterday was the first day that I did not exercise at all.  In all the research that I have read it states that your body needs a recovery day and so I gave it one.  I wonder if this is why it was so difficult to get out of bed.  I went to bed last night at 8:45 p.m.  I should have been able to pull myself out of bed but it just did not happen.  I am going to shoot for the best for tomorrow!

How do you motivate yourself to get up in the morning?

Day 9: Fear

As a Catholic School Teacher every Wednesday morning I get to bring my students to Mass.  During today’s service the first reading came from John 4:11-18.  At the end of the reading it states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.” During the homily the Priest talked about how we need to overcome our fears because in the end our fears can hurt us.  When I look at this bible passage and think about my own fears I can see not only the disappointment that I have in myself for feeling like I am not able to do something but how I internally negatively talk about myself.  This afternoon I took some time to think about my fears. When I look at the list I realized that each item that I placed on it had to deal with a relationship(s) that I had or have with other people except one.  The items that have to do with other people I will be able to overcome.  Yes it will be hard, and for one in particularly I will need to lose a lot more weight, but I know with hard work and dedication I will be able to have those fears disappear.  The fear that I have inside about myself is one that I have carried for so long.  It is one that I am most definitely ready to let go of.  So as each day passes, my wish for myself is that each day I take the time to love myself a little more so that one day I will have perfect love.

How do you overcome your fears?

Day 8: Strike!

Strike is “an intense, kickboxing-inspired workout. Challenge yourself with this full-body interval class that incorporates traditional kickboxing combinations done with optional weighted gloves, controlled weight-bearing movements and athletic drills. This is NOT your typical kickboxing class!.”

I cannot make a comment on your typical kickboxing class but I will guarantee that if you put in the effort you will be challenged!  The instructor at the Lifetime that I go to is well into her pregnancy.  She is in the front of the class coaching us through the combinations and people around me today were dropping like flies.  During Round One of the class I was so tempted to give up justifying in my head that I had already worked out this morning by walking, so I truly did not need to be at class.  For some reason the first part of my workouts are the hardest for me.  I have to remind myself that it is in my head and I need to push through it.  As the rounds continued I felt my punches get stronger.  I have a long way to go but I left the class with a smile on my face realizing that the instructor did not knock me out.  I stayed for the entire fight!   The journey that I am embarking on for this year seems crazy when I think that I am going to be able to do this for an entire year and the rest of my life.  I have never succeeded before so why am I going to succeed this time.  My answer to this is it is all in my head.  Just like the beginning of a workout or taking a long walk I need to push through until what I am doing is my daily routine.  Until that happens I am going to keep on smiling.  The commitment that I started on January 1^st is still intact; my self-doubt cannot tell me otherwise!

Day 7: Apple’s

Each morning on my way to work I eat an apple.  I love the anticipation of taking the first bite.  I wonder if the apple is going to have the right crunch to it and juices that overflow when you bite into it.  As I eat my way around the apple I think about the day ahead of me.  Every once in a while I will come to a squishy part, and because it is still dark outside and I cannot see the apple, I laugh and hope the next bite will be as tasty as the first bite.  This evening as I write this entry I am so tempted to dive head first into a bag of chocolates and not come up until it is gone.  Instead, I am going to get in my car and drive home from work.  My hope is just like a squishy part in the apple, when I get home I will laugh and continue on with my night like I have done for the six nights past.  Not overeating and really enjoying the dinner that I have.   I cannot see the future but I am hoping for the best!

Day 6: Getting my Grove on…

Tonight I went to a Latin Dance class for the second time.  It was such a different experience from the first time around.  This time I was able to continuously move to each of the songs, jump in the air, and do most of the feet movement.  I am looking forward to the day that I will have the stamina to do both the feet and hand movements for all of the dances!

All in all, week one was a huge success.  I walked outside over ten miles, ate healthy, did not go to food to answer my problems and for the most part had a positive attitude.   The one area of improvement is going to the health club more often.  This week goals are to: Walk outside five mornings, go to the club three times, and to make healthy eating choices.

How is your commitment going so far?