Affirmations

Affirmations?

The act of affirming or the state of being affirmed; assertion.
Something declared to be true; a positive statement or judgment.

Affirmations have helped me on my weight loss and fitness journey. They help me now, as I try to learn to eat normally, to maintain a reasonable weight.

What affirmations have helped you?

Some of mine -

W.I.W.M. ( what I want most)

Discipline is remembering what I want tomorrow not what I want today

Every day above ground is a blessed day

Where I am today is where my mind put me; where I'll be tomorrow is where my mind'll put me

If she can, I can!

I'll show him! ( lol!)

Never give up. Ever. Ever.

Just Do It!

I.N.O. ( it's not an option)

I don't do that anymore

I don't do that any more!

From The Do-able Diet ~ Barbara Wimhurst, a mother in her 20s, lost 45 kg on her own by eating less and exercising...

I remind myself constantly "I don't do that anymore". Every time my eye wanders down the confectionery aisle, or I go to eat the crusts from my sons' lunch or I think to ask for some extra cream on the side, I repeat this affirmation, "I don't do that anymore". These words remind me of how far I have come and how much I prefer the sweet taste of freedom and success,

Taebo

Yesterday I got to do one of my Taebo workouts ~ with my doctor's permission. I did Taebo Ulitmate Upper Body -

Kickboxing with an upper body focus, for 60 minutes. Upper body focus = less pull on my abs and post surgery area.

I loved it! I could have worked out for another 30 minutes, but I showed restraint. And who has the time??

Sadly, I couldn't do my usual full push ups - they hurt my abs. So I did the push ups on my knees. But I know I'll work back up to full, big boy push ups eventually.

At the end, Billy gave his little motivational talk. Get Fit-Have Fun-Be Strong - Remember the Spirit.

Billy Blanks is a Christian. And his motivational talks reflect this. I was jumping around, dancing and smiling at Billy at the end of the workout and during his little talk.

And, so, yes, my workouts remind me of not doing this, my life, on my own strength but of relying on God.

Sometimes I am a dork!

Jammin' to my Turbo Jam workout this morning, 55 minutes of TJ Cardio Party 3 before Mass and homeschool ice skating and work meetings, well, I thought to myself - You are a dork sometimes.



dork
–noun Slang.
a ridiculous person; jerk; nerd.


I mean, there I am in the family room, dancing away, twirling around, punching and kicking, belting out the song lyrics, having a ball of a time. I realized how dorky this must look. Must be.





But, hey, it is all in the pursuit of fitness, fun and happiness!

Intentional Eating

Thinking about Nimah's and others recent posts about intentional eating.... I think I am getting better at this.

I used to always worry over what I ate so didn't enjoy the food I did get.... like at feast times such as Thanksgiving and Christmas! And I didn't eat that healthy in non-feast times. So the lines blurred.

I am so much happier with how this Christmas went. I enjoyed my Christmas cookies.. (we baked over 12 dozen and gave most away)-- but I kept it under control. I ate light on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas my dh roasted a wonderful leg of lamb and the boys and I made some new side dishes we had never had before.

I ate and ate and loved every bite!

The yesterday, I drank lots of water, worked out and craved healthy food and ate light.

The light eating on non-feast days makes the feasts that much more awesome.

I kept thinking of what St. Teresa of Avilla is quoted as saying, when asked why she ate a feast of pheasants with such gusto.

"When you pray, pray. When you pheasant, PHEASANT!"

No wonder she is my patron saint... lol

Bigger Picture

Hi all-

Well, I think I am past the worst of this virus I have had. I was on a pretty good exercise program, working out almost every day. Because of this illness I have not been able to work out at ALL for almost 2 weeks. Yesterday I finally got on the elpitical machine for 30 min and took it slow. But it felt so good to sweat!

The two weeks gave me a lot of time for reflection, while I felt so crummy, and a lot was not positive. I just felt so sick of being sick and missing my workouts, too. Finally I realized that God might be telling me that I am not in control like I like to be. I ended up growing some... a good thing. This is just a journey, the health and it is just one aspect of life... it all intertwines.

Anyway, I was looking around for some supportive articles about how to get back on track. You know, once I feel like a Couch Potato, I tend to want to stay a Couch Potato! I liked this woman's response. Adding to that, that we are God's children, and our faith gives us unbounded reasons to be positive... it really helped.

Hugs,
Cindy


BeckyC said... (her response to a reader who was under stress and made bad food/lifestyle choices)


I've found that it only makes me feel worse when I say "I made bad choices." When I get down to it, it was the right choice at the time when I made it (pleasure over pain = right choice at the time). So instead of whapping myself over the head with guilt, I say applaud yourself for being aware of your regret.

I mean, there's a HUGE difference between knowing what to do and actually doing it. And along the way all choices lead to experience. So be kind to yourself, and remember that being healthy and attentive to your family is more important than a number on a scale. You love them for who they are, not for their weight. And they love you no matter your size too. They just want you to know you deserve the best!

So, next time, when you know you're in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation, pack a travel bag. Bring some comfort fruits or healthy snacks. Maybe something to do (book? Magazine? Crochet? Crosswords?) Its different for each of us.

My choice is the Gratitude Attitude list. Anywhere you are and you are stressed, look around you and make a list of what you are grateful for this very moment. My list always starts with indoor plumbing, heat/AC, and the people who are helpful. It can even be as simple as being grateful for the chair under your tuckas and the pen in your hand. Everything goes on the list, the safety of the building, the clean sheets, the working car, the clothes you wear. I often forget how lucky I am. So many people are less fortunate than I.

I remember how grateful I am for the details and the big picture takes care of itself. Soon you're flooded with relaxing gratitude and are able to look at the situation without thinking of food. Works everytime for me. (Even in rush hour traffic or red lights!) But remember you are important to take care of too. The care you extend to others is also the care you deserve of yourself. Hang in there.

As Abe Lincoln said "Whatever you are, be a good one."

Feeling Fat.

I just posted some thoughts on my blog. I'm going through a "feeling fat" stage. I'm trying to fight these feelings, I'm trying not to pass self image problems onto my children. And I needed to write out my thoughts, to help me deal with them

Anyone else suffer these "fat feelings"? How do you overcome them?

An interview with Billy Blanks...

...of Tae Bo fame. Very interesting.

Attitude!

I recently had one of those watershed weeks. I needed a reminder of how thankful I really am, of all that I have.

I loved this post from Vonda.

That and some kind words from a couple of friends reminded me how lucky I am. Funny how when you get down, everything seems to go down. I was feeling sad my boys are so grown up. Funny how that hits now and then. Hey, they started the dishwasher last night after I forgot, helped walk the dogs and took out the trash. What 2 year old does that? lol

As well, some other stresses came to a head. Then I felt I had sort of failed with my health goals. Failed? FAILED?!

So... on to a new attitude and a new day! Rethinking my goals... and right now they are day to day.. eat healthier for me, keep enjoying my exercise and lovingly accept whatever physical body shape God graces me with. Hey, I like curves!

I'm going to put that scale back in the closet for a while...

Going Deep- Eating to be 'Nurtured'

Ok, not to get too deep here, but here I go.

I watched a special on Food Network called Ten Days to a New You. It was about a personal coach helping people with their weight/health issues. It was very good and she made a lot of sense. Be more active, exercise, eat less and better.

But, she worked with each person to find out why they did the patterns they did, overate, sat around, ate too much, etc.

The more I think about Jackie, one of the participants, the more I think I see a key to my weight gain over the past few years.

I am posting because maybe there are others who might relate, too and it might be a key for them.

Jackie was a busy mom of small children. She seemed like a really good mom.. loved being around her kids, sharing life with them, being there for them. But she always put herself last. So, ate while she cleaned up their food, really ate all the time, all day... so meals were not that special to her. Pasta was her favorite, so she is about 50 pounds overweight.

What she and the coach determined is that she was using food to nurture herself. She was always 'on' for her family. She is happy.. not a sad housewife eating to escape, but an active loving mom. But, she nurtured herself with that bite of pizza or the bowl of pasta after the kids were tucked in bed and the house calmed down.

I related to this. I am very happy with my job. Love being home with the kids--- and my kids are bigger, so I am out of that minute-to-minute fire fighting mode that toddlers and other youngers can put you in.

But, I find I always feel I have so many things to do on my list. Take care of the house. Research books and resources for the boys. Work with then on their projects. Keep up my two small at home businesses. Shopping, errands, taxes, insurance, bills, house maintenance, keeping up with relatives... etc. I feel pulled in different ways, which is ok.. but I never am really DONE. I never have time that I feel I am off duty and can turn off.

I blog and keep up on email and lists, and that is relaxing. I am expanding more creatively through art and crafts. But I think I am looking for nurturing. Not emotional eating, which is also a real issue. To me that is more of EVENT- EAT. (Stress, fear, sadness, etc). I have done that, too, but the bulk (that has caused my bulk..lol) I think is eating to nurture myself.

I say, it is true that a handful of chips makes me feel good, right in that moment. I have nutured myself.

What Jackie ended up doing was finding other ways to nurture herself. She would get hte kids in bed then have a cup of tea. Purposefully, singlemindedly, and relax. And enjoy. Not on the run, or as she paid the bills.

She stopped snacking and enjoyed dinner with the family.

Anyway, I related to this. I am going to think about how I can nurture myself. One thing that has helped already is more structure in my day to give myself those definite times away from the endless lists. I set up an art studio upstairs where I can hide. :) Also, I took up knitting again and it gives me a reason to sit and it is so relaxing.

I also want to make more time for friends. Watch your caller ID-- I may be calling more for a chat....

Does anyone else relate to this- nurturing food?