I'm Feeling It!!!

You know that feeling deep down in your soul when the stars are aligned and everything is just--right?  Yeah, I'm there.

I made a new and completely different plan for myself.  I calibrated my kitchen scale. New foods, new ideas, a new perspective.  I am starting fresh, and boom. I got "it."  I have the excitement, the desire, the determination, and the recipe for consistency.

I'm feeling it. That's what it takes.

In case you're not feeling it, please take this advice:  Fake it until you make it.

It takes confidence: I have it.  It takes determination: I have it.  It takes getting your head squared away:  There.

I haven't had this feeling in a very long time.  I like it.

I'm riding this wave, and if that feeling dissipates, I'll just fake it until it's back.

I'm worth it.  No matter what life is like, no matter how sad, depressing, happy, beautiful, whatever...health is always of utmost importance.  Follow your heart, listen to your soul.  Don't look in the mirror and see ugly, look into your soul and see your beauty.  We are all beautiful, we are all strong, and we all can do this.

Ugh--photos

Today I had my son take "before" photos.  They made me sad.  I have to focus on the fact that I have maintained a 50+ pound loss for years.  I still did not like what I saw.

Yesterday I spent the entire day reading, researching, deciphering, and thinking things through.  Due to my feet and inability to work out like I would like, I am dropping my calories.  Today I consumed 1263 calories.  It wasn't that bad, it just took careful planning.

I went to the store last night, stocked up and I'm good to go.

It HAS to stick, because those photos.

Funny, a photo is what inspired me to start this journey in the first place.  A photo says a thousand words.

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is unhealthy.  Repeat after me, perfectionism is unhealthy.  Get that ingrained into the brain!  Perfectionism is woven throughout my life.  If I direct it in a healthy manner, it can be good; however, normally it is not good.

I have been sick with the flu the past few days.  I'm feeling better.  I have actually stressed over my inactivity because I am a perfectionist.  Breathe.  My body needed to fight the virus, the fever, the aches and pains.  It's okay to rest when sick.

Today I'm better, and about to embark on my daily workout. What shall I do? Another area I exhibit freakish, perfectionist qualities is regarding exercise, specifically rotations. I can never come up with the perfect rotation in my mind.

I did very well when I did The Skogg System and walking.  I lost over 40 pounds doing those two things with "good" eating. I wasn't perfect with my caloric intake, but I was very good.  The little secret in this that I have seen but failed to actually "see" was the simplicity.

Keep it simple, sweetie.  Kiss.  Muah!

To be consistent, which is my goal, one must choose a fitness program that one can maintain.  I have always devised grandiose plans in my mind, then felt like a failure because I could not be consistent and perfect.  Well, a friend shared a Yahoo article with me about kettlebells.  According to a study (which I read but can't link because I read it on my school account), HIIT with kettlebell snatches will raise one's VO2Max.  That's awesome.  In the study, for eight weeks participants used a 12kg kettlebell, and for 20 minutes they did snatches for 15 seconds, then rested 15 seconds.  How easy is that.

Hello, KISS. My beloved kettlebell is making an appearance in my life again. Every other day I shall do a HIIT session with my kettlebell. I plan to Skogg first and then do 20 minutes of snatches.  SIMPLE.  The perfectionist in me can easily accomplish that.

Kettlebells incorporate both strength and cardiovascular training, so I will just add more cardio via step aerobics, walking, kickboxing and now that it's spring, biking.  Easy peasy.

In the study, the participants also did strength training and played soccer.  Well, easy peasy once again--on my off kettlebell days, I shall do Body Pump.

Consistency is my main goal right now, and I can obtain that by taking my bad traits and using them in a positive way. The perfectionist in me likes to fill in my charts and follow through with my plans.  Fabulous--so now I have a plan that I can maintain.

Time to raise the bar with Body Pump!

Fitbit

I love my Fitbit.  I have been a member since 2010.  I will never go without a Fibtit, because I love it.

That said...

As I was folding laundry today, I was thinking about my mighty quest for steps. In the early days I averaged over 40,000 steps daily.  My highest day was 65,576 steps in October of 2011.  And then my feet got messed up.  And my step count went in the basement.  Now? I have good days and bad, and my goal is to hit 10,000 on bad days and 12-15,000 on good days.  Does that work? Nope.

I am sick today.  The flu has been upon me the past few days, but today the fever, the aches, the pains, the everything else--my step count is at 1,000.  And that's what spurred my thinking.  I wanted to go to Jo's Gym (my basement) and do a strength training workout.  Then I realized I had best do something cardio because my step count is low.

BOOM, right there is the epic fail.  I have always done strength training in the form of kettlebell or with weights/barbell at home or with the machines and cables at the gym.  I love to strength train.  BUT today I realized that I don't do near enough of it because I'm on a quest for high steps.

And that, my friends, is the epic fail.

I want to lift. And it takes a lot of energy, yet it yields superior results.  Fitness is not just about steps.

Saying that again:  Fitness is not just about step count!

I'm competitive. I like to compete with myself and get good numbers. The Fitbit is superior because it fuels my competitive nature.  But--but-but--does it do so at the expense of weight training?

YES!!!  Absolutely, 100% positive that answer is a yes.  I know it.

This post is deep from my soul.  I realized a flaw, an epic fail on my own part, and I'm putting it out there.

Maybe, just maybe, it's time to re-think my fitness routine.  As I said, I do not neglect strength training.  However, I don't give it my all.  I do when I'm doing it, but I don't do it CONSISTENTLY to yield the results I am capable of obtaining.

Bingo.

Yup.  Time to re-map.

Body Pump, Cathe Friedrich, Cory Everson--you all are going to become a greater part of my life.  Kettlebells, too.  And I may start hitting the gym now that spring is back, because I haven't gone since January because I hate going into -0 temps when I'm all sweaty.  Well, that's done now.  (That's one big, fat excuse, but it's true.)

Get with it, girl.  Everyone always says to get rid of your scale, it's just a number, ignore it.  I need the scale daily as it sets the tone for me.  However, I think I need to eliminate my fascination with STEP COUNT on the Fitbit.  Feet need to heal still, and I need to find balance.

Consistency right now is my biggest goal.  I'm throwing in a dose of balance with that.

Never Give Up

Trying again.  Have my head on straighter than it was.  There's no excuse for the fact I gained, but it is what it is.  I know what to do.

I'm dedicating four full months to get in the habit.  "I can do that" is my motto (I hate baby steps because I'm not a baby.)  Habit one: Consistency.

I am sick today.  Throat raw, sinuses icky, massive headache, chills and body aches.  So what.  I can do a light workout.  I'm going to try Zumba Step for the first time--and I will take it easy.

Do I feel like it?  Hell no.  Am I worth it?  Hell yes.

Consistency.  That is the key.

Well!

Things are going well.

The scale has moved a little more.  Yay!I've worked out every day but since a week ago Thursday.  Yay!  I decided not to be afraid of food, of carbs, of eating out.  Tonight we went to Perkins and I had PANCAKES.  Heaven forbid. I checked their website first to get calories, and had two eggs and pancakes. It was difficult to estimate the amount of syrup, so I went very light.

When I got home and had a chance to digest, I did two more workouts.  This morning I hit the gym and rode the bike, tonight I did a FIRM and a Cathe workout.

I'm feeling empowered.

Sometimes you just have to fake it until you make it.  And I faked happy and, well, I'm feeling a lot happier.  Not where I want to be, but a few weeks ago I was at rock bottom.  So, I'm thrilled with my progress.

My feet are better.  I've been wearing my yoga toes and the tendon pain that runs from the "ring finger" toe (LOL, lack of the proper term, but I thought that was funny!) is getting MUCH better.  Right now I just have light plantar fasciitis in my left foot, tendon pain in each foot and neuropathy.  But it's better.

Tonight I did  a very short and easy step aerobics video. My feet are fine. Tomorrow I'm going to do a beginner Cathe high step video.  My fitness videos make me happy.

I'm feeling good.  I'm doing better.  I faked it until I found my groove. A good friend helped me, but told me that I inspired myself and that she had nothing to do with it.  Maybe, but sometimes you just need someone to listen, care and take the time to talk things through.

This same friend told me tonight that now that I'm on a roll, I need to stay consistent.  I know first hand that consistency is the key.  I will make it so.

It was an awesome day, and physically I feel terrific.  Now, let's get that fat off!!!

Weigh-in Day

I used to do weigh-in days on Mondays.  Why is Monday so important?  I got my groove back last Thursday, so I decided from here on out, Thursdays would be my new weigh-in day.

And here it is:

I lost nine pounds this week.  Yup, that's a 9.

I know, much is water, but not all. I can feel the reduction in the belly.  I also know that I'll be back to much lower from here on out, but...

DAYUM, nine pounds!!!!!!!

Happy girl this morning!

And now........to the gym!!!