Gym Membership

Well, it was bound to happen. Eventually, you have to shake things up! I have worked out at Paula's Elite Fitness Studio for 10 months. Even through illness, injury, and the regular ups and downs of life, I managed to stay consistent. I knew eventually there would come a time when I would have to spread my wings and fly on my own. I had actually been thinking about it for a couple of months now: Cutting back there and joining the gym in town. My friend that I work out with and I had even developed a plan: we were going to workout together at the school this summer while the kids played on the playground.

I had good intentions, but I didn't know how to completely follow through with them. You know how it goes, you feel like doing something, but you don't know how to go about it!

This week Paula gave notice that she could no longer allow children to come with their Moms while they worked out. She is making some fabulous changes in her business and needed to make that change. Kinsley has always went with me. She even has provided extra weight while I do lunges or sit ups, and she exercises with me. Have you ever seen a one-year-old do wall push ups? It is comical!!

This presented a dilemma and a fabulous opportunity for me: I would have to discontinue going to Paula's because I don't have a babysitter, and I would face one of my biggest obstacles in this journey which is doing this on my own! Thankfully, with this challenge, my previous plans were starting to become reality, and everything I had been contemplating fell into place. Don't you just love it when that happens? It is awesome seeing a situation just work its self out, especially when it is best for both parties!

My friend and I decided we had to have some way to stay committed to our fitness goals. She had been a member of our local gym years ago, so we decided we would go and sign up together. We went tonight and did it together. I am so EXCITED! I loved going to Paula's and will miss it! However, this is the next best thing! The gym is open 24/7. It has everything I could possibly need in order to workout. I can get up early before everyone is awake or I can go after everyone is out for the evening. I can go on the weekends. I can go everyday (probably won't be doing that lol) if I choose. And I get to still do it with my workout buddy and dear friend! We get to be accountable to each other and have fun together.

We even joked tonight with their family plans, maybe we could convince the husbands to join. Of course, we would have to get a sitter then so we could watch them do that!!!LOL!!!

I really feel like my life is starting to come together. I am getting to the point of when you have a goal and you can see the finish line. I am starting to see the next step in this process and how the pieces all can fall into place!

I don't know if I mentioned this in the other blog post, but I had something exciting happen this weekend. I wore a pair of pants that I had bought last summer. They were the biggest pants I had ever wore in my life at a size 18 (YUCK!) They were even at the point where I was starting to get scared if I would have to keep going up in sizes. I put them on Sunday not even really thinking about it. They were huge on me, but I went ahead and wore them to church. I had a wedding shower that afternoon, and I had to come home before hand and changed. Those slacks were almost as miserable being too large as they were when they were too tight. I spent all morning pulling them up and wrestling with them. They have since went into the bag to give to goodwill! I am going to have to start doing a lot more of that soon! I can't wait!!!

Relapse?!?!

I started this blog with the intentions that it would contain career and weight loss information. So far, my weight loss has taken a strong hold! And you know what, it is okay. I am in the process of redesigning my website and creating a blog there as well. It will be better to separate everything!

While working out yesterday, my trainer mentioned something interesting that I hadn't given much thought too. She said there were stages to weight loss. Having been in this battle actively for the last 9 months, I understand that. What was interesting was the point she made about after six months, you have a chance to relapse. WHAT?!?!?! I thought relapsing was only something addicts did. I never considered gaining weight a relapse, until I gave it some thought.

My addiction, my comfort, my support, my emotional backer has always been food! When I was sad, I would eat. When I was mad, I would eat. When I was happy, I would eat. I am not alone. When we celebrate a wedding or a baby, we go to showers and EAT! When someone dies, we take them food for comfort. When we celebrate a birthday or anniversary, we have big celebratory meals. Not to mention the millions of dollars we as a nation spend in the snack food industry.

Granted, in order to survive, we have to nurture our bodies. We have to have calories; however, it can go way past our need for nutrition 99% of time. I know it, and so do you. I have spent years saying well it is only this one time and it doesn't matter...The heck it doesn't matter. Those one times have turned into numerous times in a month, in a week, in a day. And those numerous times in a day have turned into the forty pounds that I still want to loose.

So, back to my original thought, why would someone gaining weight be considered a relapse after weight loss? The answer is clear, at least to me. Food is an addiction. It is a crutch. And it is ever so easy to fall back into harmful, negative food addiction and gain weight. It is probably one of the hardest addictions to overcome. Think about it...An Alcoholic can avoid alcohol. A Drug addict can steer clear of drugs. But a food addict still has to have food in order to survive.

Now don't get me wrong....The other two have much more serious consequences and are illegal and more harmful to your body in the short and long term. But food has its consequences too. They are seen in the way of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and death.

While I haven't personally lived through a relapse yet, I can see how it could so easily happen. And it is my hope that through this blog, I can have enough accountability, drive, and determination to make the life long change of exercise and good, healthy nutrition to overcome this powerful addiction!

One more thing...Some have emailed that they can't post a comment to my blog subjects. The problem has now been fixed (or I hope it has) and I encourage you to try again!

I am probably going to regret this!!!

I can see some differences in these pictures, but it is hard to tell since they are taken at different zoom levels on the camera.

If you need assistance finding the differences, look near my waist, at my arms, and my face. Don't mind the cheesy grin in the first one; I was laughing at the thought of a before picture when she snapped the picture! The picture on the left was taken in July, 2008. The picture on the right was taken in March 2009.

My journey continues to be an up and down battle. I have been sick off and on, injured off and on, had sick children, lived through the holidays and so on. It is called LIFE and everyone lives it everyday! It isn't an excuse! The one constant: I haven't given up! Is this taking longer than I would have liked? Absolutely!!! Is it hard to stay motivated day in and day out? Most definitely!!! Would I go back to being my couch potato self and gain back the 28 pounds I have lost? NO WAY!!!

The point is that it is hard! It takes commitment! It shifts your focus from everyone else to you! But it is so worth getting up and the morning and having energy. It is fun to make my abs sore so that I can see results! It is worth it for me and my health. It is worth it for my kids and the habits that I am teaching them. My 1 1/2 year old eats salads with me. She loves lettuce, carrots, apples, bananas, and so on! The boys are eating better and exercising.

The best thing I did in the last couple of weeks: I started watching Biggest Loser. I am addicted to that show. I watch it every Tuesday night, and I watch the repeats on the Style Network. If those people who weigh a lot more than I did when I started can do it, then what is my excuse? If they can make a marked difference in their life, why can't I? The hardest part to any of it is just to start!

The other thing that has made a difference is I changed my diet up again. I am following Paula's Bikini Body Diet. It is 50% protein, 30% fruit/veggies, 20% good fats at each meal. Then you have proteins and/or fruits/veggies for snacks. You still eat 5-6 times per day. You cut out all processed food, sugar, carbonated drinks, and bad carbs like potatoes and bread. You eat one whole grain serving each day...Thank God for Brown Rice and whole wheat bread!

I have been eating a salad with every meal! I love lettuce! And for those that know me this will be a shocker, but I have given up table salt! The most table salt I have had in my mouth in weeks was saltwater yesterday to get rid of a sore throat! Even season salt has gone by the wayside! It has been a gradual shift away from Diet Coke, salt, processed foods, and so on. I couldn't have ever given up these things cold turkey, all at once.

And I have made myself accountable! I have my blog. I have my trainer. I have my dear friend who I workout with! I have the support of my family. It is easy to diet/exercise and not care if you quit or gain 10 pounds when no one is looking. Try it when EVERYONE knows! Try it when people know you have been going to a trainer. Try it when you post your weight online. It makes the will and determination that much stronger torwards success!!!

Have a great TAX DAY!!! I hope you all have finished them and didn't procrastinate! And remember today is just as good of a day to start making healthy choices as January 1st is!!!

COMING SOON...BEFORE AND AFTER

I wanted to warn everyone before I did this...You may want to run and never look back at this blog again!!! LOL

In the next couple of days, I am going to post the before and after pictures that my trainer has taken of me. I saw the most recent picture of myself next to the picture I took in July of last year and in December....OMG!!! I was shocked! I haven't lost the weight like I wanted, but the pictures tell a different story! I am taking them to WalMart and having copies made and posting them everywhere, in hopes to get my booty into better shape!

Hopefully, by Friday, I will have everything copied and posted! It has been so crazy around, that who knows! But, come back towards the end of the week for a surprising treat!

Still going

Despite everything else going on in life, I am still moving onward!

I have been sick yet again. If anyone has suggestions on how you stay well, I would love to hear them. I had what I thought was strep. Kevin had had it and Damon was complaining about his throat. Well, after going to the doctor, we both had infections in our throats. LOVELINESS!!! He said our allergies were draining so much, that it had literally rubbed our throats raw and caused an infection. After two days of antibiotics, it is starting to feel better.

The wind is sweeping down the plains today. And it is trying to take everything with it. Really great on the allergy front!

I have made a personal discovery that was quite eye opening, and also kinda of sad. I am glad that it happened. I just hadn't put any thought into it until a couple of weeks ago.

I posted about the pastor that I liked from St. Luke's in OKC. I think it was his ability to be different. It is so easy as a Christian to become stagnant in our worship practices. Dr. Long is very different from what I am used to on Sunday morning. It is not a bad or good different. It is just different.

I was in a Christian rut. Prayer is something that happened occasionally and on Sundays. The Bible would get opened a couple of times every other week. It was just easier to put those things away for when I thought I would have time. That was almost a year and half ago. It was right about the time that Kinsley was born and I started on my journey to becoming a virtual assistant.

As I look back, I realize how different the path might have been had God been centered where he should have been. I started listening to a Joyce Meyer's series last night. The kids were in bed and Kevin went to his fire meeting. I took seven pages of notes over 1 of the CDs. There are four in the collection. It is called "Managing Your Emotions." I listened to it, prayed for direction, and then went and climbed in bed. The most awesome thing happened: I went looking for a Christian show to watch. Joyce was on TV as she is throughout the day. But her sermon just happened to be on the same exact topic that CD had covered. It even referenced some of the same stories told on the CD.

I have had those CDs for over a year. I had never gotten through them. God knew when I would need them the most and laid them in my path. It gave me a renewed sense of strength and direction for my life.

I encourage each of you to really examine your life. Look at the things that have gone right and wrong. See if there is something missing from you daily routine. It can truly make all the difference.