Asking Bob Harper Directly for What I Want...and Believing....

Thursday, May 06, 2010

I have a new hero: Bob Harper of the Biggest Loser.

I am not obsessed about him for the traditional reasons I used to stalk men: they were cute. They were smart and some had resources! And many were fascinating!

The new me is interested in this small, attractive white boy /man, tattoo wearing , TV personality and fitness guru because he is a teacher of a philosophy that I need to save my life at the internal level: Bob preaches fitness from the inside!

He says we must change our thinking like we change our bodies. Something about that shakes me to the core. Bob says, we must face our "dark side" so that we can "GET UP AND FINISH WHAT WE STARTED." And something about that also shakes me the core.

By the way, I am 57 year old, African American almost grandmother who lives in Iowa....what a combination, yikes! I have also lost and gained and lost and gained weight all my adult life. I also lost self respect at time over those years because I did not have a concept of fitness and health that worked together.

My recent weight loss of 66 pounds is like a fight in ring with a prize fighter.

I am losing some days because they have been training and I have been only working out on " ONE LEG"... the leg of watching my weight through watching my plate. I have been on a diet alone. It gets old and it gets harder without the other leg: FITNESS!

So, I am inspired by Bob. He is my trainer. Bob suggest we do something new each day. So, I did something new. Today! I decided to ask Bob for a favor.

I went on his website and found he is giving away two tickets to the finale of the next Biggest Loser finale, May 25. It will be announced on May 12th.

I asked him to consider sending them to me. I shared my reasons why.

I believe he will hear me. I believe he will think, "well after that testimony, I have to invite her...." and then I see myself getting the call that the tickets for me and my guest (who will be my daughter who introduced me to this SPARK program) are on the way.

I see my daughter and I getting on the plane to Los Angeles. I see myself and my daughter wearing our Biggest Loser Tee shirts and drinking diet coke on the plane.

I see us in the audience of the finale. I see the balloons up in the air and I feel the tears from my own eyes....not jut for the TV winners...for they are all winners...but these tears are for me...they are warm and they are familiar. They are about my own body finally in line with my soul.

Getting those tickets represent for me a miracle: I got what I asked for. Help. Support. Better health and inspiration. NOt just from BOB but for all of you SPARK folks.....your ups and downs and willingness to start again and start anew and start with gusto!

So, I believe Bob will read my story. I believe Bob will send me the tickets! And I will let you all know when they come. How about that?

So stay tuned.....I am soon to be in the audience of the Other Biggest Losers....!!!!!!!

And yes, I will post my picture of me and Bob on my Spark page in the photo section. So look for it.

I keeping asking, dreaming and believing.....

P. S I think next I will dream of us being in first class too!

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

May Day Another New Beginning

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Just recently and from three sources I admire, I heard the same message: IT IS OK TO REGROUP FROM TIME TO TIME.

WHAT A CONCEPT AND DID IT BRING ON MY TEARS...YES IT DID!

My old reactions to life being too much for the moment or me overbooking myself beyond my capacity or me wanting to help so many people and situations when I realistically can not...just sends me into a funk, hide out mode or punishment of myself.

AND GUESS WHAT...YOU ALREADY KNOW? YOU KNOW HOW I PUNISH ME, RIGHT?

So having been told that by those three sources, was a gift. I took that gift and decided that May Day will be a celebration today and as I turn of the May pole I will be take the actions to regroup and take it easy as I do it.

Again, imagine that...taking it easy when I have done less than I projected....a new concept too!

I learned this: Regrouping for me means 1) spending some time alone to think and figure out what will tweak my needs. 2) asking for help in safe places and with safe people and 3) doing the next right thing right now instead of focusing on the past I can not change.

So I am back to remembering the daily basics: eat right, exercise as much as I can and with passion and think positive.

It does not take "rocket science" or a paid by the hour types of situation to remember this basic mantra about fitness...you SPARK folks keep telling me over and over and over again...THE THINGS I CAN DO EACH DAY TO IMPROVE MY HEALTH, IMPROVE MY HEAD AND HEART AND IMPROVE MY INTEGRITY CARD I CARRY.....AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXAMPLE.

And for those folks who gave me this "tried and true" insight about regrouping....your truth is setting me free today and I sure do need that!

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

Contentment is the Result of Fitness Action

Sunday, April 25, 2010

I am approaching my first 1,000 Spark points...and I feel the joy of knowing that each day using the SPARK tool has been an investment in ME!

I feel content with this.

I am also completing my fitness minutes each week, from 180 60 190 now and moved up from level 5 to 12 on my elliptical machine.

I feel content with this.

I am asking for help from my family in walking at the mall and at a local park with me.

I feel content with this.

I hear the "you did not do it right" stuff in my head and I am reacting less to it...and the bad body day stuff too! Poof...it is lasting less and less as a sour tape in my head!

I feel content with this.

I am not being pulled by the extremes I lived in "from a structured food plan" of the last four years to my new "elastic food plan" currently. I am cooking in diversity and eating with food guidelines with open choices.

I feel content with this.

I am hearing the same suggestions from a woman I asked to sponsor me in the journey towards fitness and health and my therapist. Are they talking to each other or what?

I feel content with this.

Finally, I am slowing down to listen to that inner voice: my God, my own heart, my "inner child's needs" and my need for nature and beauty.

I feel content with this.

Contentment is a new emotion for me. I used to live only in the tensions between "survival and struggle" and I was dying doing it. The joys of life were only measured in making it through one crisis after another: in my heard mostly!

So when I say I feel content with what is going on in this journey towards fitness and health, I am saying that showing up for myself is about me taking life as a gift...on planet Earth and being scared less that I am alive. It also means that contentment is a result now of my actions THAT COME FROM FITNESS ACTIONS!

AND I FEEL CONTENT WITH THAT!

Contentment is my new fitness action and re-action to doing what it takes each day to step forward for me. I am so worth it and now I know it!

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

P.S to the Previous Blog

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I have to make one more point about using Spark as a tool for change. I just finished getting 55 Spark point for the day. I like that. Then this message came up that said: You have the number of SPark Points allowed for the day.

I did not like that message. UM! Then it occured to me that I also don't like it when others or I say to myself, well you can't have that or that or that either....and you know I am talking about foods, right!

But getting those points will not put pound on my rounds! Having to be told, enough for today is actually good. So thank you Spark engineers for designing the system to speak direclty to that rebell in me to "push the boundaries" or be so compulsive that like the uncontrolled overeating and mindless eathing....I had not "stop gaps. "
Spark is my new "BIG Brother."

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

Changing to Change

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

As I am using the SPARK tool of changing my life it has shown me this: I have to change to change. Imagine that...what was I thinking I was doing...only making a change here and there?

My new goal is not weight loss but fitness. Now, honestly what do I know about it? Well, as I take the time each day to maximize my spark points...it forces me to DO THE WORK....read, do polls, blog, reply to others ideas, read about fitness, motivation, spin the will, read a science article about medicine and health, and see how exercised are really done for more effective BURN.....well it is re-education for a "old dog" like me.

I thought I knew a lot but SPARK keeping showing me...I need information to change. I need changing and I have to change to change. I have to let go of something and pick up something else! I have to learn the philosophical assumptions below the desire to make a lifestyle of fitness and I have to become a better conscious cook to eat healthy food and more...I have to drink the water, go to sleep regularly....yikes...exercise with an intention and more than anything: CHANGE MY OLD THINKING ABOUT CHANGE.

Wow, what a thing this change is....what is the definition of change....to take an action that will result in something being different...oh you mean me? I wanted things to be different but I did not want to change and when I was dieting...I just wanted to change for a while instead of creating that SPARK life style change...they recommend. In fact, everyone recommends...from Oprah to Dr. Phil to Suzanne Sommers. They all say the same thing!

Why?

Because it is true: I have to accept change as the key ingredient to changing who I am to what I want to become physically, emotionally and spiritually.
So Sparking...is the bomb! It has exploded all over my life as a friend, comrade for the biggest revolution in my life: fitness and healthy in moderation and with permanence but with grace and perfect imperfection.

Can anyone relate to this?

  Member Comments About This Blog Post: