Transformational Tuesday

A number of fitness pages I like on Facebook have posted a lot of before and after photos for Transformational Tuesday. I enjoy looking at these photos for inspiration, motivation, and just the sheer pleasure of being happy for another’s journey. As I looked at these photos throughout the day, I realized that despite any physical transformation the biggest transformation happens in the mind and spirit.

This is where I am at on my journey right now. More than being consistent with my food and exercise plan, I need to be consistent with my prayer and meditation. Lent starts tomorrow. For the past few years, instead of giving up something, I have been added something – more prayer and meditation. So, I am going back to the basics with my meditation practice. Staying present is going to help me with my nutrition and fitness goals.

Sunday's Stroll

I had a nice four-mile walk today. It took me a while to get there and then I wanted to quit after walking two miles. I reminded myself why I was doing this. I want to run my next 5K nonstop. I want to participate in the Peachtree Road Race next year. I am not going to reach my goals by sitting on the sofa surfing the Internet. I am going to have to walk (and run) more than two miles to get across those finish lines.

There was no reason to stop. I wasn't tired. I wasn't in pain. I just didn't feel like doing it. So for this coming week part of my training plan is to spend each day visualizing myself running in the Big Pumpkin 5K. I still need to take a drive and check out the route. Perhaps I will do so after I write this blog. :)

August Goals

Yesterday I was thinking about the goals I want to work on this month. I need to make sure I keep my goals simple and S.M.A.R.T. I will say that lately I have been doing much better with 30-day challenges. This morning as I completed Week Five, Day Three of the Couch to 5k I realize I have not repeated one day of the training plan. Even though this is my third attempt (second time I will complete the plan), I see this as progress both mentally and physically.

Here are the things I plan to work on this month:

1. #PlankADay
2. Run 3x a week -- If all goes well, I will complete my Couch to 5k plan by the end of the month.
3. Strength train 2x a week -- I need to have a plan.
4. Pray and meditate at least 15 minutes each day
5. Finish all of the books in "currently reading" on my bookshelf on Good Reads.
6. Work on my writing at least 15 minutes each day - I have a dozen or so unfinished poems to keep me busy.
7. Nutrition - I will try one new recipe a week.
8. Practice my swimming 2x a week - I need to find another swim class.

Snooze, I Lose!

I was supposed to complete Week Three, Day Three this morning. Instead, I hit snooze button. All day today I have been regretting my decision. I hate having regrets!

I know it's not the end of the world. I wish I could/would follow my training plan perfectly but that would not be realistic. I know I have choices. I could have tried again this evening. I decided to do some light exercise and stretch.

I reached out to my friend, who I call my 5k sponsor, and she was very encouraging. She shared that she did something similar last Saturday. She also said I must learn how to listen and honor my body. Even though I went to bed early last night, I guess I was really started. I just don't want to start making excuses. I will continue work on getting in tune with my body. I have been so separate from it for such a long time. I am still learning how to tell when I am physically hungry. I suppose the same goes for when I am physically tired or it is just the mind/ego telling me so.

Tomorrow is another day....

Challenges

It's been a while....

Lately I have been consumed with challenges. Yesterday I finally completed the 30-Day Squat Challenge. I am so proud of myself because this was my second attempt at this challenge. My intention from this challenge, besides learning how to do squats with proper form, was to develop consistency in my fitness routine. I am very grateful for the willingness to complete this challenge.

Another challenge I've had is with the scale. I have gained 10 pounds! At first I wasn't that worried when the scale was moving up because my clothes size has moved down. I'm still getting comments about looking great. I had lunch with a friend a few days ago and she said my face looks slimmer. I don't know. My eating and portion control has been okay yet I had to admit I have been indulging in way too many yogurt pretzels. The bottom line is that I am motivated by numbers. I still want to see a certain number on the scale. Sigh....

I have also had a challenging time listening to my body. Last week I was supposed to do a 5K. The truth is I was in no position to run. Beside not training, I needed to give my knee a break. I want to run but my body is saying not now. The challenge has been keeping my ego in check.

Tomorrow I am started a 30-day yoga challenge. I have seen a number of yoga challenges. I have decided to take what I like and create my own challenge. My intention is three-fold: integrating mind, body, and spirit into my fitness journey. I believe for the most part I do this. However, completing this challenge is also about focus and consistency.

In addition to yoga, I will be drinking a gallon of lemon water, meditating for at least 30 minutes, and reading 10 pages from The Art of Happiness each day. I am also thinking about blogging/journaling each day but I'm not sure.

C25K: Week Three, Day One

I did it! I’ve been so nervous about today’s workout.  Thursday and Friday I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I was going to have to run for three minutes today – twice! I prayed.  I meditated.  I did some visualization.  I whined to my friends Bianca and DJ.  They both truly understand what I’m going through.  They each have lost over 100 pounds and are now runners.  It’s always comforting to hear their words of assurance.

Today my mantra was:  My mind will quit before my body does.

This morning I got up scared out of my mind.  I prayed and did some positive self-talk.  I told myself that if others could do it I could too… all I have to do is trust the process and my God.  Well, here I am all sweaty, proud, and grateful!  Truthfully, I think I had another three minute run in me.  It wasn’t as bad as I imagined.

Couch to 5K Prep

My Elliptical workouts have been going really well.  I’m up to 25 mins 2x + 30 mins cycling.  I suspended my weight training for the past two weeks because I hurt my back.  I do see how  the Elliptical is helping to strengthen my knee and improve my cardio health.  I’ve been focusing on some new stretches for my quads and hamstrings.  I can’t believe how tight my quads are. 

I’m getting really anxious about trying this Couch to 5K again.  The third time is a charm, right?  My friend who has completed it gave me some great advice.  I’m probably going to repeat weeks until I feel comfortable.  I’m not going to push to move on just for the sake of completing the program “on time.”  I have plenty of time (three months) to train for my race.  So, I’m going to take it slow.  I’m also going to train outdoors instead of the treadmill.  I am also doing something different and asking for more help.  I’ve asked her to train with me every once in a while.  This will also give me a good feel for what it’s like to run with another while focusing on my own pace.  It will be good practice on learning how to run on own race.

On another note,  I’m a little frustrated that I’m not dropping any weight.  I switched back to eating five to six times a day.  I stopped because it felt like I was eating all the time and I was afraid it was going to trigger bingeing.  The compulsive overeater in me is better with this approach now.  My new mantra is food is fuel, not therapy.  So, when I eat, I remind myself that I am fueling my body and taking care of myself.  I remind myself that this is a lifestyle, not an eating plan. 

The last thing I’m doing is my mental training.  I work with my affirmations, prayer, meditation, and my vision board.

UPDATE:  My friend just sent me a text.  Apparently, I'm started Day 1 tomorrow.  Too funny! I thought she wanted to meet for coffee.  I'm ready!

Healthy Eating: The Mindful Orange

The Mindful Orange

Yesterday I did a Google search on mindful eating and came across quite a few mindful eating exercises. I liked the idea of trying the exercise with a piece of fruit. I think it’s going to be a better starting point for me than doing this during a meal. So, today I chose an orange. I used the following exercise as my model: https://depts.washington.edu/abrc/stress/MindfulEatingExercise.pdf

The first part of the exercise was absolutely amazing. I took the time to truly appreciate everything that goes into my being able to eat an orange. Someone had to till the soil and plant seeds or trees; someone took care of those trees; others picked the fruit; so on and so on. I expressed gratitude to all the effort that it took for me to be able to sit down and enjoy this orange. It was a very humbling experience.

As I cut the orange, I just enjoy the sweet smell. I love any type of citrus smell so this experience was very enjoyable. I couldn’t believe I was taking the time to just sit there and enjoy the sight and smell of this orange.

The eating part had its challenging. I found myself struggling to eat slowly. I also caught myself picking up another slice while I still had fruit in my mouth. When this occurred, I would stop, put my hands on the table, and spend a few moments focusing on my breath before proceeding.
As hungry as a felt before eating the orange, I was extremely surprised by how full and satisfied I felt.

Awesome August Update - Week Two

Another awesome week in August for me! Last week I focused on meditation, stretching, and yoga. I know I did a really good job in this area because I was sick all weekend. I must have released some serious toxic energy! It started Friday afternoon when I started feeling really tired. That evening I had a nice therapeutic pedicure and Saturday I attended a meditation workshop. I received many confirmations and revelations during the workshop.


By the middle of the afternoon session, I started sweating and feeling dizzy. I wasn’t sure if I was going to pass out or vomit. I sat in the restroom for a good 15 minutes. I then sat in the reception area to cool off. Once I felt I was present and back in my body, I returned and manage to make it through the last two hours. Yesterday, I canceled my plans and stayed home to rest. I’m still feeling a bit off. I’m going to do some grounding meditation today. I also plan to do a light workout session in the gym today.

Fitness is Learning - Mind Over Matter

MIND OVER MATTER


If you quit, you've let the matter defeat your mind. Km

According to Wikipedia, mind over matter is explained as followed:

Mind over matter is a phrase popularized during the 1960s and 1970s that was originally used in reference to paranormal phenomena, especially psychokinesis.[1] However, it has also been used in reference to mind-centric spiritual and philosophic doctrines such as responsibility assumption. It is the belief that the mind is more powerful than the body. Specifically, mind over matter refers to controlling pain that you may or may not be experiencing, such as holding your hand under extremely hot water and feeling no pain.

After reading through a few more sites on the philosophy of mind over matter, I ran across a blog entry by fitness guru Eugenie Jones. I like what she had to say about mind over matter in terms of fitness. Her discussion about self-defeating thoughts and other mental barriers really resonated with me. Attitude is everything. I can’t tell you how many times my mind was telling me something it didn’t think my body could do. I can’t tell you how many times my mind was wrong.

In fact, I have been using the mind over matter technique in other areas of my life. I meditate and pray on a daily basis. One of the exercises I have been doing lately is watching my thoughts. Observing the mind has allowed me to gain more control over my overall outlook on life. I’ve also found that it helps me with my eating habits. Just because I have a thought that I want to eat does not mean I have to act on that thought. I observe the thought coming from the mind and see it if it matches what is going on in my body. Often it’s just a thought that I can let pass away.

Soon I hope to begin training for a 5K. I can use the mind over matter technique to help me when I need to push myself and exceed the limitations of my mind. I want to make it clear that this doesn't mean that the mind can tell me I can run a half marathon with proper training. The technique is simply a tool I can use to help me achieve reasonable fitness goals.

Next on the list is powerlifting. This one should be fun. Lol!

A Good Friday

Today I didn't even have to use my A.K.
I got to say it was a good day.
~Ice Cube


I spent all afternoon at the doctor's office and the hospital yesterday. Preop stuff. If I have to fill out one more form, I'm going to scream! Things at the doctor's office were slow but great. The hospital was another story. They want you to fill out all these forms without giving you ample time to read through them. I felt so overwhelmed.

I go in to see a nurse. The first thing she wants to do is give me a pregnancy test. I start laughing. I told her there's no need for me to have the test. She snaps back at me ... are you refusing to take the test? I smile and said, no ma'am, I'm not. I had a hysterectomy in 2005. It's on one of those forms I filled out. She mumbled something about not seeing it.

I hate hospitals. I'm a huge germaphobe. I am not looking forward to this experience at all. I hate public restrooms so I didn't want to go to the bathroom while I was there. I was miserable. I couldn't wait to get out of that place so I could wash my hands. The fact that I was exposed to TB the last time I was in the hospital doesn't help. I was able to amuse myself with the fact that I didn't want to use any of the pens they kept handing me. Lol!

For the most part yesterday, I played the hurry up and wait game. Crystal played games on her iPhone. I prayed and meditated (and tried not to think about germs). I probably spent 3 hours praying and meditating yesterday. I continue working on staying positive and focused on my fitness journey. After we finished with my appointments, Crystal treated me to a nice Mediterranean salad at the Peachtree Diner. I came home, relaxed for a few, went for a quick walk, finished watching the first season of Nurse Jackie. Considering what was going on all around me, it was a pretty good day.

Gotta Have Faith

My event is about a month away. I am sooo nervous. I've tried not giving into these thoughts. It's not working. So, I decided to just watch the thoughts and let them pass through my mind. Hopefully, they will dissipate into the nothingness from which they came.

I can do this!

I am going to pass that finish line.

Each and every day I get out there and walk is a good testimony of my faith in my ability to do this.

All is well in my world.

Where is the joy?

Today I was dreading my work out. I took some time to sit quietly for a while. I meditated and prayed. I thought...be careful what you ask for and laughed. This is exactly what I wanted. The strength and energy to get out and exercise. The movitation and determination to complete my goal. I am going to face my fears head on.

I am afraid to sweat.
I am afraid to breath heavily.
I am afraid I'm going to succeed.
I am afraid I'm going to fail.
I am afraid I am going to make a fool of myself.
I am afraid I look stupid.
I am afraid of losing weight.
I am afraid of my expectations.
I am afraid of letting myself down.

You know...even if all of the above is true...even if all of the above happens or doesn't happen. I press forward. I will not give up. I am going to make it to that finish line! And so it is!

Let it go!

I'm not having a good week. Today was a struggle. I think it has to be my diet and hydration. I have the motivation. However,I do not feel as if I have the energy I need. It could be mental. When I turned the corner to go up that little hill, I wanted to cry. I huffed and puffed my way up and felt like I was going to pass out when I made it to the top. Not good. After I did my crunches (10), I did some meditating.

When I sat down to blog, I could feel the tears. The same thing happened yesterday. I don't know why I didn't let them fall. I know it's emotional and not physical. As a matter of fact, I feel energized right now. Yet, I still feel like crying. Why? Whatever it is, I need to let it go.

Week Two Wrap Up

Today was I scheduled to walk 30 mins. I was so nervous about it. Again, I was allowing my mind to get me so worked up about it. Am I going to be able to walk that long? Why did you start this crazy venture?

It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. I have to walk 30 minutes today. I had to yell at myself to quit worrying about it Are you ready to go out walking now? No! Then, shut up about it, I told my mind.

After a very cold week, the weather was beautiful. I decided to go walking along "the professional path" as I call it. It's a path where people walk, jog, and cycle. I like it because there are quarter mile markers along the way. I was nervous. 30 minutes is the longest duration I've had to walk since beginning my training. I had a little trouble during the last 10 minutes. My hands starting getting cold, and my lower back started to spasm a bit. I was so tempted to stop. I refused to let my mind tell me my body couldn't to it. I ignored all that fear and kept on walking. I focused on my breathing and my stride and completed my session like a champ. I walked a little over 1.25 miles! I couldn't believe it.

I stood along the river for a while and stretched and gave thanks. Then, I went to my favorite little spot, meditated and watched the ducks for a while. It was a beautiful ending to a rather stressful week.

***

I attended a nutrition class this morning. A lot of the stuff I already knew. For the most part, I am disappointed in the class. I like what she said about being in tune with your body, listening to your body, and asking it what it needs.

Sleep and StretchZ

I went to bed earlier last night. Well, at least, early for me. I am usually up until 1 or 2 on a Friday night. Last night I was in bed around 11. I guess I really don't need much sleep because I was up around 5. I got up for a bit, stretch, tried to go back to sleep. I tossed and turned for about 30 minutes and decided to get up. I did some more stretching and meditation.

This coming week I do plan to be more disciplined about getting to bed at a decent hour. I am setting my bedtime at 10. I'm up as late as midnight during the week, and I begin working at 7:30 am! Some of the time I'm up late grading papers. Most of the time I'm goofing off on the Internet. No matter what is going on, it's going to be lights out at 10 for me.

Switching gears, I discovered this cool app on my Touch last night--StretchZ. It contains stretching routines you can do right at your desk. Since the majority of my waking hours are spent in front of a computer screen, this will be a great way for me to get in some stretching.