Do it for ...

Friday, November 02, 2012

As I've mentioned several times, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo -- National Novel Writing Month ( nanowrimo.org ). The goal is to write 50,000 words in a novel or novels in November.

This morning a Pep Talk was broadcast from an author, Kate DiCamillo, and she ended off with these words that struck me as being true of so much more than just writing:

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It is a truly excellent (thing) to have someone to believe in you and your ability to write.

But I think it is just as helpful to have people who don't believe in you, people who mock you, people who doubt you, people who enrage you. Fortunately, there is never a shortage of this type of person in the world.

So as you enter this month of writing, write for yourself. Write for the story. And write, also, for all of the people who doubt you. Write for all of those people who are not brave enough to try to do this grand and wondrous thing themselves. Let them motivate you.
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This is very true of our journeys to become healthy and fit, lose weight, learn how to nourish our bodies and strengthen them.

It is wonderful to have supporters, people who encourage us and have our back.

But, it can actually be helpful to have the detractors and saboteurs, those people who are convinced we'll fail and don't have the tact to keep their mouth shut.

Do it for you. Because you deserve it.

Do it for the health benefits. Because eating better and getting active does directly affect things like how often we get sick, how well we resist injury.

Do it for those who support and believe in you. Because they're right and .

Do it for those who don't currently believe in themselves. Because they need role models, they need those of us who have gone before to blaze the trail and show that it can be done. They will see that , that it is possible to and be encouraged to start or continue their own journey.

Do it for those who would sabotage, do it for those who lack faith in us. Because often the person they have the least faith in isn't us; it is themselves. They can't do it, so neither can anyone else. When we show that , a few may just start their own transformations - being given the small spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, they can do it too.

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BLC#20 - S.N.A.C.K. Weekend Challenge

Thursday, November 01, 2012

S - Strategize.
Make a meal and exercise plan for the upcoming week.
( One time points for 200 points. )

I really don't tend to meal plan that far ahead - at least not being specific about my food. I have a general idea of what I'll mix and match and each day I pre-track by the time . But ... I'll give it a go just for this weekend. (-AND- I did notice this doesn't get penalize us if we end up deviating off plan, so while I'll try not to, there is emergency situation wiggle room.)

I think it might make this blog too long too try to list it here, but I post my nutrition and fitness trackers publicly - so it can be seen there. Here's an attempt at a summary that I hope makes sense.

Most of the time if things get changed up, it would be varying the freggies, having one less snack or one more as needed, or adjustments in the exact grams measured. For example, I might update it to 57g of granola vs 55g or 60g, because it's a nuisance to pour it back. Some things I also make notes about - like eating the Salad Mix I put the full calories the nutritional info indicates, but only use about 1/2 or less of the dressing packet.


MEAL PLAN
=====================
Breakfast
(default work breakfast) Juice in mug, Fiber Bar, and String Cheese
(default home breakfast) Granola and milk

Lunch
Cottage Cheese and Fruit
Omelet
Tuna melt (no bread)
Frozen Dinner

Dinner
Stew
Salad Mix
Ground Beef

Snacks
Soup (Tomato), Pudding, Various Freggies (Raisins, Pears, carrots, celery, etc)

Post Workout
Protein Smoothie

Supplements
Multivitamin and Fish Oil


FITNESS PLAN
====================
Friday and Monday are 60m on machine(s), 20m stretching, 24m brisk walk home
Saturday adds 24m walking to gym briskly
Sunday drops to 20m on machines, and includes 25m stretching, 90m ST work, 24m to gym, 24m from gym

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"This is gonna take FOREVER!"

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The first thing I think of with those words is trying to tell a young child that it is several months until their birthday or Christmas or what-have-you. Heck, with Christmas looming, some kids feel like that when it's only days away.

We adults shake our heads and chuckle, knowing the time will pass and the event be done and over with before they know it. Years can flit past with barely a blink of an eye, or so it seems when they're gone.

YET, how many times have we looked at the number on the scale and the idealized number we want it to be ... and felt like "this is gonna take FOREVER!" (Our inner child's voice?)

I remember my first time entering numbers on SparkPeople. It actually made me mad and sad that I wouldn't be able to reach the goal before my birthday in 2012. If I had started in June of 2011, when I first created a SparkPeople login but not when I started, even if I had very dedicatedly pushed for 2 pounds a week average, I'd have been looking at May 2012.

That could have been depressing. It could have looked like it would "NEVER" get done.

The truth, however, is that the only way it will "NEVER" get done is if I either 1) NEVER start or 2) STOP before I get there.

I hope to have at least another 50 years of life. With female maternal ancestors who mostly made it to 90 and some even just over 100, that's a very good possibility. Even if I only have another 30 years of life, though, that's pretty significant. What is 2 years to get in shape compared to all the years after that of BEING in shape? Is 2 years really "FOREVER"?

Let's say I only lost 1/4 pound a week or a pound a month. Sure, it would take me several years. BUT each one of those years, I'd be down another 12 pounds rather than still just as heavy. (Or worse, heavier.) Each one of those years I'd be a bit healthier, a bit stronger. Each one of those years, I'd be facing less complications from obesity. I might even have gained years of life.

It could take me 8 years to lose 96 pounds, but then I could live healthy and fit until my body decided my time had come.

-OR-

I could have decided that it would "take FOREVER!" and not bothered to start. Which would have left me the same weight and physical condition as before or worse ... and living poorly until some obesity complication made things worse.

I know which I've chosen. I can look forward 5 or 10 or 20 or 30 or even 50 years and actually imagine myself still fit and active, my body honed from reasonably healthy eating and regular physical activity. Sure, 50 years will have my body less fit and less capable of some activity, but not nearly so bad as if I'd spent them hauling an extra 100 pounds around and stuffing myself with lots of sugary treats and triple portions, while doing little more than walking.


Now, yes, the process of staying healthy and fit is something that will indeed "take FOREVER". Staying healthy and fit, though, is a "FOREVER" I'm happy to look forward to.

What does not really "take FOREVER" is reaching a healthy weight. Nor does reaching a functional fitness level "take FOREVER".

They take time. Sometimes years. Years we are going to live either way, whether we start or not. (Or not live, depending on some of the complications possible if we don't start. That would be a very sad way to have it truly and honestly "take FOREVER".)

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October Summary (a day early) and November plans

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

I'm doing this a day early for a few reasons. One is that the goals for October won't change at this point whether I did them or not. Another is that I'll be participating in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and want to clear my mind somewhat of distraction to focus on what I'll be writing. So here they are:

== October goals ==

1) New low of 170.5 at least once.
Nope. It's been leaping all around, but my current "new low" is 172 which I first hit on the 21st. I'm not doing anything crazy to try to see a 1.5 loss in a single day (today was also 172) but it's all good. November should see me stably below 170.

2) Reduce cardio on weight days to 20m.
It shouldn't be this hard to do LESS cardio. But I really didn't factor in things like LCW (Last Chance Workout) or Weekend Challenges in the BLC#20 (Biggest Loser Challenge). I ~HAVE~ improved it in one manner - which is getting less cardio machine time while at the gym and swapping that for more brisk walking (4mph+) earlier in the day and heading home.

3) Two meals in skillet and/or slow cooker.
DONE I've made Chicken Provencal & Beefed-up Vegetarian Chili ( =P ) & Beef Stew

4) Oktoberfest 5k - new PR?
DONE in 41:32! Very happy with that.

5) Mission statement started
Perhaps not as far along as I might have hoped, but I have been sporadically building my rough draft. I did decide what the two key overriding purposes I want my life to have are and I'm just figuring out how other things fit into those.


SUMMARY: Not bad at all. The weight is a minor concern, but not for the number so much as my own awareness of the reasons behind the number. One issue that I need to address is that I never take a real rest day - I just work out less strenuously. That needs to change, but it might not until after the BLC is done. Another issue is that I've been slacking on my tracking on days when there isn't a BLC challenge to push - allowing myself a more generous handful of almonds rather than counting out 24, for example. I've handled that in the last week, but it does show in my numbers.


I also have one == by Winter == goal that I'm definitely doing something with -- social activity. I've already attended the NaNoWriMo meet & greet and have plans to make it to the "first minute" write-in. If I can schedule them in reasonably, I'll be trying to make it to others. Sure, it's not the MOST social thing since the main goal is writing, but it is getting out with other people as an intentional thing (vs being around a lot of people at the gym, but being solo).


And now, looking forward to:

== November goals ==
1) Stably below 170 pounds.
2) First 10k - Turkey Trot - aiming for 1:40:00 or better
3) NaNoWriMo - 50,000 words in 30 days (1667 per day average)
4) Two more slow cooker meals (different chili + different chicken?)
5) Get over to storage and do some reorganizing

I'm hoping to not get too distracted or unbalanced with all the writing. My blogs might get a tiny bit less verbose (yeah ... right! ) and I might ease up on my SparkPoints acquisition (I don't NEED 100+ every day). But I don't want to let any good habits drop and I want to stay active with my teams and s.

Here's to making November a month of many blessings to be thankful for.

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Some thoughts on guilt

Sunday, October 28, 2012

A while back I had been searching up some information on guilt. What exactly was it? Was there any positive benefit to it. I'm pretty sure it was someone's blog or status or comment that sent me off down that particular rabbit's hole. Guilt, after all, is often behind decisions that don't put us first. If we feel guilt, we must be less deserving of good things.

The key thing I remember finding in that search was a comment that guilt is what happens when we don't listen to our conscience before taking an action. We ~KNEW~ something was not right and did it anyway, so now we feel guilty.

I don't know if I fully agreed with that, and mentally set it aside to chew on.

What is guilt?
Why does such an emotion exist?

I remember the idea that every living thing on this planet has a purpose, even if we humans don't know what it is. Even if we hate them (mosquitos), they have their place in the broad ecosystem.

If I apply that concept to emotions, every emotion has a purpose - an appropriate time to feel it and a reasonable way to express it.

Guilt ... one problem with guilt is how it tends to be expressed.

How dare we not put our child's needs before our own? We are GUILTY of being selfish. Everyone thinks so! What horrible parents we are. There's nothing we can do to make up for our failings completely. We are GUILTY and must give up, give in, subsume ourselves in an attempt to atone for our wrongness.

Guilt gets turned into a motivator for self-denial, self-flaggelation, self-destruction. Guilt means we are undeserving. We are unworthy. We are less.

I'm not saying guilt was all bad. After all, one of the common traits of a sociopath is not having any sense of right or wrong. A sociopath cannot / will not / does not feel guilt - because they are not responsible for anything. A responsible person feels guilt for what they have done that they knew would be harmful in some way.

Guilt is a valid inner message that an action we've made had some negative consequences. It is a reminder of our responsibility and a motivation to try to make things better.

MAKE THINGS BETTER!

Not tear ourselves down, but build ourselves up.

If I feel guilty of lying to my boss, then I need to resolve the situation that led to me lying as though it were the better choice.

If I feel guilty of not spending enough time with my DS and DDa, I need to examine my priorities and stop wasting minutes here and there (like the hours of playing games).

What I SHOULDN'T do is wallow in the guilt. Guilt alone is too passive. It can accomplish nothing without action. Guilt should be driving that action.

(I also REFUSE to accept external guilt. I shouldn't feel guilty because someone else told me to directly or indirectly. I shouldn't feel guilty because society decided what I've done or am doing is wrong. Guilt is my PERSONAL measure of whether I made the right choices or could have done - and thus can do - better.)

Because ultimately the truth is

YOU DESERVE THE BEST
YOU ARE WORTHY

Guilt does not take that away. Guilt means you need to act in a better way because you are better than that.

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