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Today is March 1st. That means new opportunities start today. I love the beginning of each month. While I try to identify new goals and check progress on current ones, I’m always excited to see what will happen. What helps you stay motivated to work toward your goals? I wrote a little about rewards several weeks ago. I like to pick things as rewards that I would not normally do for myself- like buy fresh flowers or try a fancy new tea.
While I was not as successful as I had hoped with February (so many things out of my control got in the way – see last post), I learned to make adjustments. That meant I tried some different workouts when couldn’t run and got a new french grammer book to prepare for meetings with my student. Even though life seems to throw more than a few curveballs, we can’t just give up. Here’s a great quote : “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you don’t stop” (by Confucius). That will be my motto for the rest of the year. Just …don’t…stop.
Another motivating point for me is having a partner to share frustrations and successes with. I have a friend at the gym with whom I confess good and bad days. I value her support because she is honest and bright. She takes her diet and exercise routine seriously
and stays up to date on new information. I recommend finding such a partner to help you in whatever you are planning, whether it is around exercise, career changes, or school. Be blessed!
Of course you’ve heard about the new movie starring Julia Roberts. I decided to wait until I had finished the book before I saw the film. The book of course has more substance – you just can’t put everything into 2 hours and 15 minutes. I loved the way she described her feelings, good and bad. I found it easy to relate to her even though I have not had the same experiences. Elizabeth Gilbert’s year-long trek to find God and herself took her around the world. For the rest of us, however, that opportunity may never come.
But, there are some simple steps that anyone can take to help them find a sense of peace and happiness. As a woman and a psychologist, I am quite familiar with the way that women base their self-worth on their looks and/weight. This propensity has caused us to become obsessed with diets in this country. You would think that with all the diet plans out there, we’d all be thin by now. But, no, the rates for overweight and obese people continue to rise.
My suggestion is that we focus on what we are really hungry for – good, clean, healthy food. This is not a shout out to pig out. If we feed our bodies properly, I’m sure we would be surprised at how good we would look and feel. Give up the fake, chemical-based substances we have accepted as the common American diet. Let’s eat like we are in Italy or France: fresh produce, small amounts of dark chocolate, meat without growth hormones.
Prayer is our communication with God. It’s really that simple. I’ve had many clients over the years who feel that they are missing this connection. They are usually surprised how simple it can be to develop that relationship. Some find it in church, others in nature. God is there, if we look.
I believe the love part comes easily after you have the first two steps. I am not talking about romantic love, but that could come afterwards. You have to learn to love yourself. That is so foreign to some women because they are focused on trying to twist themselves into what someone else wants instead of being who they are. By taking care of yourself, valuing who you are, and knowing that God loves you (despite knowing all about you), will help you to find peace in this crazy life. Love isn’t that hard but it does take effort. Often, practicing small, random acts of kindness towards others can bring love and happiness into your life. Those are my tips for eating, praying, and loving your way to a happier life.
Since I’ve become serious about my run/walking routine, I’ve been searching for the perfect way to keep track of time, distance, etc. I love the Garmin products but they have always been a little too pricy for my budget. Four years ago, I found I could buy an older model Garmin Forerunner online. I was so thrilled when it arrived! I ran up and down my street just to see haw far and how fast (or slow). Yeah, I drove my husband nuts with it.
Earlier this year I decided I needed to upgrade a bit so I could track my heart rate since I am in my 50′s and plus-sized. I ordered a newer model but it really wasn’t right for me. Too heavy, didn’t fit my bony wrist (despite being plus-sized everywhere else), and I couldn’t read my HR numbers. So, the search continued.
Just this month Garmin introduced a new Forerunner designed for ‘newbies’. It does all that I want, like average pace, distance, hr, and calorie burn! I did not gripe about the price, ordered it as soon as I could and waited. And waited. Anyway, I got it last week and have been totally pleased! I even figured out on my own how to upload so I can see my results! It was so cool that I even ran an extra day just to see how many calories I burned! This will keep me excited for a long time. I’m a person who needs that kind of feedback to stay motivated. So, if you are like me, you may want to check out the Forerunner 110 by Garmin. Now my husband wants one…
Well, this past Saturday my training group started up again. The summer/fall session for Marathoners In Training started bright and early. I was so ready because the winter was so bad (icy) that I decided against doing a spring half-marathon. I am looking forward to doing the Columbus Marathon this October for the second time. My only goal is to improve my time and that shouldn’t betoo hard since I came in dead last two years ago (back spasm, long story).
I love training with this group because even though I am slow, I feel comfortable with the program. There is a ton of support, great coaching, and informative sessions from experts. What makes it even more fun is that my dear hubby joined last year and did not grumble when I woke him up at 6am on Saturday (he is so not a morning exercise person). There was no rain despite the clouds but I was just so happy to be outside that I did 4.5 miles instead of the 4 planned. Yes, I’m one who barely tolerates the treadmill but appreciates it during the winter. So, if you happen to be out taking a stroll on the Olentangy Trail, you may be surprised to see how many crazy folks get up early to meet the sunrise in running shoes.
Half-Assed by Jennette Fulda
The book is a quick read but you will want to mark some pages to return to as her story progresses. For example, she was able to cut off her relationship with regular soda pop (several drinks a day) after realizing that it was like ‘liquid candy’. This may be true for many people – I know my husband drinks too much soda and when I used that description, he seemed to give it some thought. Many people who have no problem avoiding the candy dish or say they can skip desserts are consuming way more calories in those 2 liter bottles.
This is not a diet book – it is about one person’s experience with losing weight the old-fashioned way, through exercise and educated eating. Her goal was to save her own life, not just to be skinny. Health should always be the reason we make changes. It reminds you that while weight loss is not easy, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out her website.
Today I spent some time looking at websites and blogs dedicated to plus-size women. I was pleased to see that many women (and the men that love them) asked questions about fitness wear. This is an issue that I constantly whine about (according to my dear husband). It can be very difficult to find tops and bottoms that fit well, wear well, and look good. As a runner, most of my sports budget goes to my shoes and if you need a referral I would suggest you check out Fleet Feet stores – they are great. I am tall and I have big feet so I wear men’s shoe for running. However, I do try to find workout wear for women. For years, I was resigned to buying my technical (for wicking) tops and pants (for more length) in the men’s area. Just in the past two years have I been able to gradually exchange lots of my running clothes – thanks to Target stores. They usually carry women’s sizes up to XXL and now some pants come in tall. It makes me feel great to be able to pull on a yellow or pink top instead of just black or grey. Don’t let the small sizes in most stores make you shy away from getting healthy exercise. It may take some extra time, and trial and error (with online shopping) but stick with it. After all, we are still girls and love to celebrate our femininity.
As a plus-size woman, I understand how difficult some common things can be for us. For example, buying clothes. Ordering things online can be quite challenging because you may have to return items because of fit problems. It would be so nice if all clothes were consistent in size. I don’t understand why that’s done for men’s clothing but not women’s.
Another complication is our own pride. I know I have been guilty of this way too many times over the years. Buying something a little small , with the plan to lose enough weight to fit into it in the near future. Have you ever done this? I have given away so many clothes over the years because it was clear I was never going to fit into that certain size.
As hard as it can be, I’ve had to acknowledge that I ‘m most likely to remain plus-size even if I lose 40 pounds. It was painful to think that my dream dress size (12-14) would still count as plus-size. But, that does not mean that I have to practice an unhealthy lifestyle. Making intelligent food choices and exercising on a regular basis will do much for one’s overall health. Even more important is making the choice to lover yourself regardless of the tag in your dress. What are you dealing with out there?
We are in the third week of the new year. I have to say that despite my exercise routine and changes in eating, I have not lost any weight. This bothers me because one of my goals this year is to cut down my 1/2 marathon time by 30 minutes. That will only happen by losing at least 20 pounds. This is always a frustrating issue for me. I know that many of you deal with extra pounds. While I accept being a plus-sized woman, I do want to increase my overall health and I just weigh too much!
Now I admit that I love sweets but I have been cutting way back, having a few bites of dark chocolate for dessert with some fruit. Changing how you regard yourself while making healthier choices is very important. The key is to focus on making changes out of love for you rather than punishing yourself for being overweight.
What kinds of things do you say to yourself when you’re having a bad day? Do you blame yourself and the rest of the world? Do you dive into a bag of chips, not coming up for air until your fingers are covered in salt and grease? That’s when you need to stop, take a few deep breaths and really think about what you need. Maybe a relaxing bath, time to read without guilt, or a nice bowl of soup. Most of all, be kind to yourself. We all respond better to love than nagging!
“39% of African-American women are obese.” This was a statistic I heard on CNN earlier this week. It also indicated that 29% of Hispanic women and 22% of White women are obese. Obese, not just overweight. Being an African-American woman, I was curious to hear more. This study compared poverty levels with obesity rates and found that they were related. Some of the reasoning was that people living in poverty (often the inner city area) had practically no access to fresh vegetables and fruits. These families buy canned and packaged goods because they are cheaper and easier to store. There is no space for gardens in these areas and buying fresh produce would involve travel and higher costs.
In addition, the report stated that 25% of all women do not exercise at all. It is not considered to be important in their lives. This really bothered me because as women, we have to be responsible when it comes to our health. Just looking at how everyday stress impacts our lives, we need to be utilizing a variety of means to relax, decompress, and take care of ourselves and our children. I know how much better I feel after working out for even just 20 minutes. At this point in my life, I know that I would not want to be around me if I didn’t exercise. Breaking a good sweat several times a week helps me to sleep deeper, make better food choices, and calm my nerves. We need to change our attitude regarding exercise. Our bodies were meant to be active. That’s the best way to stay youthful and healthy.
