While working to improve my health, lose weight and improve my endurance.....let's face it.....you want to look better too. As I have said before a size 6 is not in my future but then again it was not in my past either....
As you get older there are things you notice that weren't there before.
I get my eyebrows waxed because I can't tweeze my eyebrows with my bifocals on....
I try to decide between getting my hair colored or pretending the grays are highlights....
I really do tell you all way too much about myself but then again that is the point of this blog.....isn't it???
Yesterday, I did something new.........I got my face waxed......yes, I said I got my face waxed !!!
I don't like the fuzz on my face and have become self conscious about it. I decided to get it removed. It felt strange......hot wax on your face and then feeling it being pulled off with some kind of strips. When I was done, I was very pleased with how it looked. I think it makes my face look less full (notice I didn't say slimmer....hey, this wasn't plastic surgery or a face lift after all). I will be curious to see how it looks when I put on some make-up on Monday.
Anyway, as I see things I can improve on while I continue to work on my weight and over all health.....I may get brave and try something else.....not really sure what they might be but then again I didn't wake up Saturday saying "Today, I will get my face waxed."
Small changes and easy fixes will help me endure the long road ahead......my weight is not an easy fix but is happening very, very slowly....improved overall health is happening....I can see it and feel it. I climbed a short flight of stairs yesterday without the usual one step stop, another step stop....
Note to self: your are a work in progress......don't be too hard on yourself......as long as you know you are trying....that's all that matters. Pep talk over !!!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
My ankles look like GRAPEFRUITS....
Reading the title of this entry should give you a hint as to how my week went at the scales.....uuggghhh !!! I knew when I got up in the morning that I would be up at the scales when I saw my swollen ankles. For the men reading this entry......have you ever heard of WATER RETENTION ????
I was right.....I was up. My solution.....I went to the gym and worked out.
This week will be a hard one......between my birthday and Thanksgiving.....there are a lot of land mines to step around. I will do my best to think it through and make good choices. I have decided if I can get through to the 1st of the year maintaining or still losing would be great. My biggest goal is to NOT GAIN.
One cookie, one slice of pumpkin pie or a small helping of sweet potato souffle won't cause me to gain. I just have to remember to stop at one cookie, one small slice of pie or a small helping of sweet potato souffle. I am not going to be a martyr and walk around with a sign that says "don't feed me". I need to learn once and for all how much to put on my plate. If I decide to have a little extra potato's then I need to pass up on the green bean casserole.
Please do not stare as I put food on my plate. I will have to answer to the scale....not you. If I eat very little that day before the meal or watch what I eat all week and do no use my bonus points until Thursday.....I should do OK.....
Bottom line is I am way ahead of where I was this time last year and for that I am truly THANKFUL!!!!
I was right.....I was up. My solution.....I went to the gym and worked out.
This week will be a hard one......between my birthday and Thanksgiving.....there are a lot of land mines to step around. I will do my best to think it through and make good choices. I have decided if I can get through to the 1st of the year maintaining or still losing would be great. My biggest goal is to NOT GAIN.
One cookie, one slice of pumpkin pie or a small helping of sweet potato souffle won't cause me to gain. I just have to remember to stop at one cookie, one small slice of pie or a small helping of sweet potato souffle. I am not going to be a martyr and walk around with a sign that says "don't feed me". I need to learn once and for all how much to put on my plate. If I decide to have a little extra potato's then I need to pass up on the green bean casserole.
Please do not stare as I put food on my plate. I will have to answer to the scale....not you. If I eat very little that day before the meal or watch what I eat all week and do no use my bonus points until Thursday.....I should do OK.....
Bottom line is I am way ahead of where I was this time last year and for that I am truly THANKFUL!!!!
250 steps gone.....
On Thursday, I started working on my goal of 500 steps on the stepper in 20 minutes. I am breaking this into 2 phases. The first phase is being able to complete the 500 steps. Then I will work on the speed.
Carol, varied my workout so it isn't boring. We did some stairs, then weights (dead lifts and lifting from my sides to shoulder height), squats and back to the steps. By the time we were finished I had done 150 steps. I was waiting for Jenn who was on the track so I decided to do another 50. Then Jenn went to work on machines, so I did another 50. I was pleased to get half way to my goal just one week after setting the goal. Now I will focus on 350-400....maybe by next week. Surprisingly, I didn't feel horrible but the sweat running down my back felt nasty.
Steps, steps, steps.......walk, walk, walk......sweat, sweat,sweat.....
Over and over again......
With each step moving closer to the better....me, me, me
Carol, varied my workout so it isn't boring. We did some stairs, then weights (dead lifts and lifting from my sides to shoulder height), squats and back to the steps. By the time we were finished I had done 150 steps. I was waiting for Jenn who was on the track so I decided to do another 50. Then Jenn went to work on machines, so I did another 50. I was pleased to get half way to my goal just one week after setting the goal. Now I will focus on 350-400....maybe by next week. Surprisingly, I didn't feel horrible but the sweat running down my back felt nasty.
Steps, steps, steps.......walk, walk, walk......sweat, sweat,sweat.....
Over and over again......
With each step moving closer to the better....me, me, me
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A New Goal.....500 Steps On The Stepper....
On the Biggest Loser, the contestants had to do 500 steps on the stepper in 20 minutes. This is a new goal for me to attempt. I will work at it in 100 step increments. This is a very ambitious goal. The last real defined goal I had was to do 3 miles on the elliptical which I accomplished last June. I still have not gotten to the speed I wanted to do the 3 miles but that doesn't make me a failure. Someday, I will go back and work on that....
In order to feel successful, I need achievable goals but that are also a stretch. The 500 steps is definitely a challenge.
Switching up my goals is like getting a kick start. Changing things up prevents me from getting bored. Boredom can kill my ambition.
Eleven months into my journey....eleven months of trying to put me first....eleven months of learning how many friends and supporters I have......eleven months of working to improve myself.....eleven month of trying to accept the fact how I feel about myself is more important than what others think of me......eleven months of realizing some people will never think I look good unless the scale says what they think is acceptable......
All of this in just eleven short months.....can't wait to see how I feel by this time next year.....the difference from last year has been huge......
I thought I knew it all at 25, then 35, then 45 and now as I turn 55, I realize I have so much to learn but boy am I having fun.....learning about me !!!
In order to feel successful, I need achievable goals but that are also a stretch. The 500 steps is definitely a challenge.
Switching up my goals is like getting a kick start. Changing things up prevents me from getting bored. Boredom can kill my ambition.
Eleven months into my journey....eleven months of trying to put me first....eleven months of learning how many friends and supporters I have......eleven months of working to improve myself.....eleven month of trying to accept the fact how I feel about myself is more important than what others think of me......eleven months of realizing some people will never think I look good unless the scale says what they think is acceptable......
All of this in just eleven short months.....can't wait to see how I feel by this time next year.....the difference from last year has been huge......
I thought I knew it all at 25, then 35, then 45 and now as I turn 55, I realize I have so much to learn but boy am I having fun.....learning about me !!!
Down At The Scales Does Not A Success Make
I was down at the scales this week.....which is good. The realization that I will not reach my 50 pound goal by Dec 31st is a reality I must accept. BUT this is just a minor setback. I will get to the 50 pounds, then 60, then 70 and so on until I get to my personal goal. It is not a number on the charts that equates height and weight. I will know what is right for me.
I am still way too sensitive about how I look. But then again that is 54 (yes, almost 55) years of looking at myself in the mirror and not being thrilled with the reflection. I may never get to the point where I feel totally comfortable. Look you are dealing with a person whose biggest fear is dying in the shower. The thought of some strangers seeing my dead and NAKED body is enough to keep me going for a long time. Or I could just shower in my clothes.....
There are things I really do like about myself but it is still hard to get past the physical part. Plus father time also has added some grey hairs, some wrinkles and gravity is doing its bit too!!
There was a time when I could get out of bed and start my day. Now I reach for my eyeglasses, take a vitamin, something for my knee (when it aches) and use my my maintenance inhaler (so I do not have to use my rescue inhaler).....this is before my feet hit the floor.....uuugghhh...
In the last year one thing has changed,,,,,I wake up with hope. Hope that very slowly I am making progress. The gym, weight watchers and putting me first is part of my life. At times it feels darn good and sometimes I see the old Donna lurking in the corner waiting for me to falter. The old Donna is gradually fading away with each day and each decision I make.
I can't say I will miss her .....in fact I can't wait until she is a distant memory.
I am still way too sensitive about how I look. But then again that is 54 (yes, almost 55) years of looking at myself in the mirror and not being thrilled with the reflection. I may never get to the point where I feel totally comfortable. Look you are dealing with a person whose biggest fear is dying in the shower. The thought of some strangers seeing my dead and NAKED body is enough to keep me going for a long time. Or I could just shower in my clothes.....
There are things I really do like about myself but it is still hard to get past the physical part. Plus father time also has added some grey hairs, some wrinkles and gravity is doing its bit too!!
There was a time when I could get out of bed and start my day. Now I reach for my eyeglasses, take a vitamin, something for my knee (when it aches) and use my my maintenance inhaler (so I do not have to use my rescue inhaler).....this is before my feet hit the floor.....uuugghhh...
In the last year one thing has changed,,,,,I wake up with hope. Hope that very slowly I am making progress. The gym, weight watchers and putting me first is part of my life. At times it feels darn good and sometimes I see the old Donna lurking in the corner waiting for me to falter. The old Donna is gradually fading away with each day and each decision I make.
I can't say I will miss her .....in fact I can't wait until she is a distant memory.
How To Handle A Rough Day At The Office....
Last Thursday was one of those days where not only did I earn every cent I get paid but by the end of the day the company should have owed me money.......
It was a day filled with interviews, meetings, etc, etc.....
My team knows that come hell or high water on Tuesday and Thursday, I leave the office at 5:00 to go to the gym for a 6:00 workout. Well at 5:50, I was still at my desk.
I finally got in the pool at 6:35 after slamming the door to my locker after my daughter asked me why I was late....
I finished the water aerobics at 7:00 and stayed in the pool doing laps until 7:35.
I got home at 8:00.......
What makes this behavior so special that I need to post about it?
As I left the office, I thought to myself....go home ....the hell with the gym. ....
BUT that was what the old Donna would have done. The new Donna reminded me that I would feel better after working out. Also, it would be beneficial for my family to delay my arrival at home. I also knew that I would be mad at myself later on for driving past the gym.
WOW......how I have changed. Going to the gym to work off stress instead of going home in a lousy mood and making the wrong choices.....like eating something wrong.
Maybe Donna is growing up after all......
It was a day filled with interviews, meetings, etc, etc.....
My team knows that come hell or high water on Tuesday and Thursday, I leave the office at 5:00 to go to the gym for a 6:00 workout. Well at 5:50, I was still at my desk.
I finally got in the pool at 6:35 after slamming the door to my locker after my daughter asked me why I was late....
I finished the water aerobics at 7:00 and stayed in the pool doing laps until 7:35.
I got home at 8:00.......
What makes this behavior so special that I need to post about it?
As I left the office, I thought to myself....go home ....the hell with the gym. ....
BUT that was what the old Donna would have done. The new Donna reminded me that I would feel better after working out. Also, it would be beneficial for my family to delay my arrival at home. I also knew that I would be mad at myself later on for driving past the gym.
WOW......how I have changed. Going to the gym to work off stress instead of going home in a lousy mood and making the wrong choices.....like eating something wrong.
Maybe Donna is growing up after all......
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