15,000 Minutes

I can still make the 15,000 minutes for the year and I won't have to exercise for an hour a day!!!

So I took a break, that's an understatement, but over the past couple weeks I've been walking here and there. I woke up on Saturday morning doing hard math to see if I can get to 15,000 minutes for the year. I thought I only had 5,000. I figured I would have to do about an hour a day for the rest of the year to make it up, but that's doable.

Today, I went walking for an hour. When I got on the computer this morning, I proudly punched in 60 minutes for today and 180 minutes for the 4 walks (I did more) that I did in the last month.

Turns out that I have 5650 minutes so far this year. So, that means that I can do about an hour 6 days a week for the rest of the year. That is even more doable.

I love to walk. I really do. I love how my body feels when I walk. I love to be able to have that time to myself to muse about life. I love waking up with the sounds of life waking up. I love knowing that I did something good for me for the day. I love not only how my body feels when I walk (lean, slim, fit), I also love feeling my body. I love being aware of my body when I walk.

The other thing I love to do. I love eating fruit in the morning. Sometimes I feel like I need something heavier. Sometimes I want a little bacon or some meat. Most times though, I like eating fruit. I feel clean and healthy when I eat fruit. And, once again, I like the feeling of doing something good for me. My body practically explodes with joy when I walk in the morning and eat fruit. It is so happy, it oozes out into my day. That is, perhaps, the best side effect.

4 Weeks In A Row

BBB W6: 420/300

I actually came to work 4 full weeks in row. No wellness days. No vacation days. No holidays.

Amazing really!!!

I was marveling at this when a co-worker saw me talking to myself and asked what was up. I told her and she said, "Well, you're losing weight and you're healthier now."

You know what, she's right!!!

I feel healthy. I look smaller. I am losing weight. I feel more energized, less lethargic. I've eat intermittently, so I don't get unreasonably angry from low blood sugar. My immune system is pumped up. My hair, nails, and skin are more radiant and healthy. I can walk faster and farther. I feel alive, invigorated.

I feel healthy.

World Awakening

BBB W6: 360/300

I just love seeing the woman on the ticker run forward. She's at 40% today. Truly amazing and wonderful!!!

I love walking in the morning outside. Did I ever tell you guys that? It's crisp. The birds are beautiful. There's dew on the grass giving it a very earthy smell. Flowers are out and they smell wonderful. The squirrels are busy running on the wires. It's pretty industrious.

On the second half of my walk, I walk on a main street. The city wakes up. Stores start opening. One or two cars pass by. The buses start going. People are walking around a little. Cars are starting to trickle onto the college campus and into parking lots. People are getting their morning coffee. There must be at least 4 coffee shops on the 25-30 minute stretch that I walk.

It's amazing to witness the world waking up. I love it!!!

Slimming Down Shaping Up

BBB W6: 255/300

I'm slimming down. My face is getting slimmer. The arm flab is going away. My belly is lifting. The cellulite in my thighs is going away. My thighs and arms are getting firmer. My neck is emerging. My cheek bones are emerging. I can see the veins in my feet. My calves are getting thin. My wrist is getting smaller. My breasts are getting smaller. My back is getting smaller. My waist is getting smaller.

My body is shaping up.

Trusting My Body, Trusting Myself

BBB W6: 195/300

I did get 400 minutes last week!!! I went for a walk in the morning.

This week so far I'm at 195 and it feels great:-)

I haven't weighed in 2 weeks at WW. I've been weighing on my scale at home. It now reads 248lbs. My weight is going down rapidly and I'm loving it.

I got some guidance to eat more fruit, vegetables, and lean meat, less starches, sugar, and fat. I'm going to follow that guidance. I eat fruit and veggies (grape tomatoes) all morning long and I love it. I eat apples, grapes, strawberries, and the newly discovered blackberries. I also have a veggie snack in the afternoon so I don't end up feeling ravenous and wanting to eat everything in sight when I get home.

I haven't been paying close attention to (read worrying about) what I eat. I've just been eating what I want to in a given moment. I am following my body's guidance and trusting it.

Honestly, I feel a bit wobbly without the constant tracking, but every week the scale goes down. I feel absolutely wonderful that I am finally learning to trust myself. That trust has amazing consequences.

300 Minute Goal Met

BBB W5: 345/300

YIPPPPEEEEEEEE!!!!!

I did it. I've exceeded my goal for the week. It's been 4 weeks in the making. I may even make it to 400 minutes this week! That would be so cool.

I love meeting my goals.

I love my morning walks.

This morning I was walking along when I noticed that it was overcast. The rain held up until I reached a spot with an overhang. Then it started sprinkling. I stood and watched. I asked what I should do and my brain out of fear (which sounded like reason) said, "Head home."

I've been doing some inside work to do the thing that feels good. I couldn't figure out exactly what would feel good so I went for the thing that would bring relief. I said I was going to head home and in that moment the clouds opened up and a deluge came down.

I said to myself, "Guess I'll wait."

When it finished up, I walked to the corner I wanted to walk to today and headed back home. The clouds and rain were ahead of me. If I'd headed home, I'd have been soaked and there was no cover in that direction except for trees.

Moral of the story: Ask for what you want, not how you think it should happen. What I really wanted was to stay dry. That could happen in a myriad of ways. I always tell my business owners and clients this and I get frustrated when they tell us how to do something.

Adding interest to the story, I woke up promptly this morning which put me ahead of schedule which afforded me the extra moments of watching the rain.

Life is so beautiful:-)

Visit to the Gym

BBB W5: 285/300

I just might make 300 minutes this week. I am looking forward to doing so.

I am so grateful for my gym membership. This morning it was misting. I turned around to go back into the house for a hoodie and remembered that I have a wonderful membership at the YMCA. The gym is a block away from my house. I call it across the street because it feels as though I just have to cross the street to get there.

I walked around the track with the weights as I intended to around the neighborhood. I was reacquainted with my boot camp buddies. Those folks kick butt and they look so good. You could tell the new folks too. Even though they look trim, they're the ones that do hand over heads instead of jumping jacks after the first stair drill. They have the look of, "What the hell did I get myself into? I thought I was fit."

Love that class:-) It gives me something to shoot for. I will know that I've arrived when I'm able to make it through that class.

Over 1000 Minutes

BBB W5: 225/300

I'm over 1000 minutes!!!!!

I accidentally typed 10,000. That's going to be so cool when it happens!

I did a morning walk today and yesterday. I love walking around the neighborhood in the morning. The birds were in rare for this morning. I swear I heard them chirping, "We're a team," and, "I'm so pretty." Just lovely. I love my neighborhood. I'm very fortunate to live in a cottage house for below local apartment rates in an affluent neighborhood. It's fun, fun, fun!!! I love it!

Food of the Week: Blackberries

BBB W5: 165/300

When we go to the grocery, boyfriend always tries a new food. It used to annoy me at first. I like lists, and his surprise food of the week was never on the list.

Anyway, about a month ago, I started this experiment. It's fun. I found out about grape tomatoes (so yummy), Macaroni Grill entrees in a box (good for a quick healthy meal), and steamables.

This week I'm trying blackberries.

They're pretty good. I like to put it on my tongue and press it against the top of my mouth. It bursts and the juices goes pop all over my mouth. I like them because they're popable and don't require any preparation except washing. They taste like fruit juice to me, and just a touch on the bitter side. I don't know how to pick blackberries. So, I'm not sure if it's supposed to taste that way or if I got a bad batch.

On the health and nutrition side, I learned that they're a great source of fiber, anti-oxidants, and vitamin E.

It's a keeper, even though I prefer rasperries because they taste like jello:-)

Pre-Paving Meals

BBB W4: 240/300

Marla asked in the comments yesterday what I meant by pre-paving my meals. I will preface all of this by saying that I believe we are expressions of Well-Being/God/Source/Consciousness/Spirit. I believe that we are meant to express all the goodness of Well-Being including good health. I have been working on the gap between what I believe and what I am experiencing.

At the beginning of my day, I read a passage that I'll paste below that basically lets me know that whatever I eat today is completely within the realm of things that my body can process. I remind myself that my body is made up of trillions of cells that know exactly what to do to keep me where I want to be physically. The passage is from Abraham-Hicks Mexican Cruise in 2008.

I am also working on what I really believe is possible for me in terms of losing weight.

Grace Before Meals

"I am in an environment where I have many wonderful choices relative to food and I want to know that whatever I choose my body will be just fine about.

"I like understanding that I have a body of trillions of cells who are all experts at knowing their work in my body and I am so pleased that I don’t have to have a board meeting where I instruct each one of them what they need to do while I slumber or while I walk. In other words, I’m happy that my body knows what to do.

"And I am consciously aware that my intelligent body is maintaining and doing a good job of keeping me, in terms of physicality, where I want to be.

"I am in an environment where I will have a lot of choices and I am looking forward to feeling the ease of the choices that are before me, understanding that there are no really wrong choices for me to make. That I have this resilient body, a body that understands everything about the content of the food that I’m going to be eating, that understands everything about converting the food that I’m going to be eating into the energy that I call my physicality.

"And it is pleasing to me to know that this is not something that I need to have concern about. I’ve got a body that knows what to do when I let it do it. So I’m going to be aware and maybe different than I’ve been at other times that I’ve been eating. Each time that I feel myself tensing a little bit over a choice that I might be making, I’m going to just relax and say to myself “there are no wrong choices here. There are no bad choices here. Everything that is possible here is within the comfort zone of my body in knowing what to do.”

"I know that as I’ve been living life, I have created a picture of the way I want to be, most important of the way I want to feel, most important of the vitality I want to live, also important the way I look, the way I move, the way my body continues to be, the way I feel in my clothes. All of this I’ve been putting into Vibrational Escrow and I feel confident that I’ve painted a picture that is complete and as I want it to be and I feel confident that my cells of my body, who are vibrational transmitting and receiving mechanisms, are fully aware of that image and are utterly compliant with it.

"So if I can resist my normal temptation to “freak out” over food, and instead I can replace that with an attitude of relaxing and confidence in my body’s ability to manage and know what to do, then this will be the most delightful and delicious meal of my life experience.

"I like taking myself out of the management of the cells of my body, which I’ve never had any control over. I don’t understand metabolism. I don’t know what they do. I don’t understand the chemistry of my body. I’ve read all of those books and all of them are wrong. I don’t know about that, but my body knows and I trust my body.

"So these things I do know. I know that I have created a Vibrational Escrow and I know that I have a body that I can trust and I know that I’m going to be sitting before a delectable meal and all things are going to be offered to me, and I know that all is well, relative to me and food. "

"I’ve turned it over to the aspects of my body that know what to do!

"My body knows and I trust my body."

~Abraham-Hicks, Mexican Cruise, Jan 2008

No More Obsession

BBB W4: 195/300
BBB W3 WI: -1.0 lbs
Total Weight Loss: -17.4lbs
Current Weight: 254.4lbs

I lost another pound!!!!

Weight loss 3 weeks in a row!!!!

Since the first 3 weeks of the year that's been unheard of. My body is cooperating. In fact, it's just doing what it does and I am no longer trying to whip it into shape. It is responding magnificently.

What did I change?

I stopped obsessing.

I stopped tracking every morsel.

I stopped tracking every sip of water.

I stopped tracking my fruit and vegetables.

What did I start doing?

I started to respect and trust my body.

I started to relax about my food.

I gave myself some space to be.

Specifically, I started pre-paving my food and working up the Abraham-Hicks emotional guidance scale as it relates to my body and weight loss.

I actually feel at peace now. Not resigned, but at peace!

Getting Back in the Groove

BBB W3: 210/300

It feels great to get back into the groove of things. It feels great to exercise and move my body. I love walking outside. When I walk outside, I feel like I own the neighborhood. I really enjoy that feeling. Best of all, I love it when I keep my commitments to myself.

I would really like to get a 90 minute walk in this evening. That'll just be twice around the lake. If I don't it won't be a biggie, but I would love to do it so that I can meet my 300 minute commitment for the week. It would be a big win for me.

BBB Week 3 Check In

BBB W3: 90/300, 1/25 ST, 2 stairs
BBB W2 WI: -2.4 lbs
Total Weight Loss: -16.4lbs
Current Weight: 255.4lbs

I lost 2.4lbs last week. Yippee!!!!

I'm glad to say that I did life this week an lost the weight. As I've been saying, I'm trying something very different with my food. It has nothing to do with counting anything. In fact, I'm not counting anything. However, I am eating healthy, wholesome, nourishing food that my body just loves to process. It converts the food and fat cells to fuel very, very, fast.

I still haven't been back to the gym though I did walk around the park twice on Saturday. I love walking around the park. I love going to the gym too, but there is a part of me that thinks of it like punishment. This week, I'll be working with that part of me. I just love moving my body. It is my absolute pleasure to do so.

Taking a Pass

BBB W2: 150/300, 1/25 ST, 2 stairs

I am taking a pass on this week and will begin again on Saturday. I just wanted to say that out loud (or in pixels).

At this point in every year, my resolve unravels. I feel rebellious. I get physically sick with the pollen which develops into a cold. I get tired of the weather flipping back and forth. All I want is comfort food and sleep.

This time, instead of fighting it and beating myself up for it and telling myself that I'm a wus and a failure, I'm just going to give myself a break.

For two and a half weeks, I went from itchy eyes and skin to sneezing to stuffiness. I am finally in recovery. I'm at about 80%. I feel well again. By Saturday, I will be back to 100%.

Curiously, I really do want to exercise and run and lift weights and do yoga. I really, really want to. But in the morning, my head is in a fog and I just want to create a humidifier under the covers. It's worse than winter.

But...on Saturday, it's back in the swing of things:-)

The Green Heebee GeeBees

BBB W2: 90/300, 1/25 ST, 2 stairs
BBB W1 WI: -1.2 lbs
Total Weight Loss: -14.0lbs
Current Weight: 257.8lbs

For 2 weeks I've been battling the green heebee geebees. I HATE spring. I grew up in a country with 2 season: wet season and dry season. I was introduced to spring in my mid-twenties. It is absolutely HORRIBLE.

I thought I escaped it this year, but 2 weeks ago my eyes were sealed shut from itching and watering. This week, the allergy effects have turned into a head cold. I only did 210 minutes this week. It was a huge struggle. I was at home 3 days. It's just too much.

In good news, I'm down 1.2 lbs. I didn't log my food at all last week and like I said above, only 210 minutes. Go figure! I did do something very different. I listened to my body and what I wanted to eat. At times I considered doing the draconian no whites again, but I generally ate well. I ate healthy, wholesome food. Lots of fruit and veggies. Rice and pasta in moderation. Lean meat. And a few not so sweet treats (custard, sugar-free cookies). Much less struggle, angst, and frustration, I was using that on the green stuff.

I've decided to scale back to 2 strength training workouts and I MUST stretch. My arms hurt for the entire week from that session on Monday.

My Arms My Arms

BBB W1: 120/300, 1/35 ST, ----, 2 stairs

My arms are in pain from yesterday's strength training. Ouch!

I have no one to blame but myself. I didn't stretch after the workout. I did cardio after strength which was interesting, but no stretching. What was I thinking?

In great news, I did 4 laps around the track this morning!!!

I wonder what it would be like when I can do a mile straight. That's going to be fun.

My food is good. I'm not tracking points. Trying something new. I'm not sure where I'm heading with this, but...

Challenge!

BBB W1: 60/300, 1/35 ST, --*, 0 stairs

The Burn Baby Burn challenge has begun.

I've been working with allergies for about 10 days not. Finally, this weekend I succumbed. I did my first workout for BBB today and it was great as expected. Because of the pollen, I'm breathing heavier than usual and there's a bit of wheezing. I'm going to start taking Advair again. I'm going to have to watch it.

This is usually the time of year when things get sketchy. First, I'm dealing with the pollen and I don't feel 100%. Second, I lose interest. I've added the strength training and I'm working on running the laps to take care of the boredom issue.

I'm going to find a tiny notebook and take it to my workouts to keep track of the weights I'm lifting and the circuit I'm running. This morning I did 15lbs on tricep and bicep curls, 30lbs on overhead press, fly, and row, and 50lbs on the chest press. If I remember correctly. Tomorrow, I'm going to attempt 4 laps around the track, or 1 lap out of every 10 laps.

I didn't weigh in this weekend. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. This year is about forming healthy habits. When I set up the challenges, I said I would like to:

• Lose at least 50lbs
  
• Wear 38DD or smaller bra
  
• Be able to shop at regular stores
  
• Run a 5K
  
• Hold the camel pose for 30 seconds

I'm down 13lbs and at 1lb/week I'll lose 50lbs for the year.

My bra is on the second hook and my boobs aren't overflowing from the cup. So my breasts are getting smaller.

I'm down to size 18/20 from 22-28.

I can run 3 times around the track and by the end of this challenge I'll be able to run 10 times around.

I don't know where I am on the camel pose, but I discovered the elongator during the last challenge.

Wow!!!! When I put it like that, I am making progress. I am getting healthier, fitter, and smaller.

Cool, anyway, as I was saying, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do about weigh ins. I don't think I have to do much about it. I might just shift to weighing in at the gym on Friday morning without all the build up and fandango of the WW weigh in. I don't constantly check in on all the other "would likes", why do I feel like I have to constantly check in on the weight. It throws me off and I lose focus.

We'll see.

Burn Baby Burn

B2B W12: 250/250, -*****, 10 stairs

Today I ran around the track FOUR times!!! I did one whole and two 1 1/2 laps. I tried to do 2 in a row, but I'm not ready...YET :-D

I feel like Christmas. I've been itching to reveal, no unveil, no present, oooh, so excited....I've been itching to unveil - yes, that sounds right - the next challenge.

The next challenge is called Burn Baby Burn. The purpose of the challenge is to kick my metabolism into high gear. I want my body to be an efficient fat burning machine. To that end, I'm kicking up my cardio intensity and adding strength training to the routine.

The Challenge will run from April 6th to July 5th. It's going to get me through Memorial and Independence day holidays. I'm looking forward to that. Memorial day I'm usually in Miami with family. This year DBF and I are contemplating a cruise. It's going to be fun:-)

Burn Baby Burn Challenge

• Exercise 3900 minutes (includes strength training)
  
• Complete 35 30-minute strength training workouts
  
• Increase running to 10 track laps
  
• Eat on plan every day

Eating on plan means I:

• Eat within my points
  
• Drink at least 48 oz of water
  
• Eat at least 6 servings of fruit and vegetables

I'm going to take the stairs as much as possible. I'll be accruing them during this challenge for use in the next challenge.

Everyone is free to join. Let me know in the comments if you're game so we can keep in touch and cheer each other on.

The next challenge you ask?

Yes, I'm already thinking about the 3rd quarter challenge. That challenge is going to be dedicated to eating optimally, if I don't accidentally do it during this one:-) I'm thinking that I'm going to use the stairs accrued during Burn Baby Burn for a Stairs to Starch program in Heading to the Beach (South Beach, that is).

Why don't I do that now you ask?

Well, I want to win. I already have enough changes going on in this challenge. I'm upping my exercise goal from 3300 minutes to 3900 minutes. I'm introducing strength training. And I'm starting the running program early. I think that's enough.

Food is going to require concentrated effort to move from healthy choices to optimal eating. Right now, I'm comfortable with my food. I am upping the fruit and veggie intake from 5 to 6, but I do that now anyway. I am still changing my food lexicon and the way I view food. I'm still consciously choosing healthy, wholesome foods. I would like, during this challenge, for that choice to be unconscious. In other words, I want the healthy choices habit installed completely before I start letting go of the training wheels.

The Heading to the Beach challenge will be a precursor to taking off the tracking training wheels. I've said all along that I want to develop a healthy lifestyle. This year is about transitioning to that. It's all about making healthy choices and being active. The weight will melt of as a result of making healthy choices and being active. I'm thinking beyond that point. I have no intention of tracking every morsel I eat or obsessing over what food I'm eating for the rest of my life.

Being healthy will become like driving a car for me. Sure I pay attention to signals and sounds when I'm driving, but I can also talk on the phone, listen to the radio, or speak to a passenger (sometimes all at the same time) while driving because driving itself is an installed habit.

The Next Challenge

B2B W11: 185/250, ****, 9 stairs

My veggie of the week is cherry tomatoes, actually I think they're grape tomatoes. They're great. I'm having them for my mid-afternoon snack instead of baby carrots. Very tasty:-)

In other news, I ran around the track 3 times again today. YAY!

I'm thinking about the next challenge. The minute challenge is 3900 over 13 weeks or 5 1-hour workouts per week. Originally, I was going to do Body for Life, but the program doesn't thrill me. It's just too complicated. I think the challenge is going to be to be able to run around the track 10 times in a workout and do 35 30-minute strength training workouts. The 3900 minute goal will stand, but it's a given. Also a given, is staying on plan with my food which has been excellent lately.

The objective of this challenge was to inculcate the habits of eating healthy and moving. I'm very pleased with the results. I still convince myself to get out of bed and to the gym some mornings, but I motivate myself with the feeling that I know I would have when I'm done, energized and invigorated. I'm choosing tasty, healthy food. Better than that, I am actually beginning to see healthy foods as filling. That's huge because I feel satisfied.

The purpose of the next challenge is to turn my body into an energetic, smoldering, efficient fat burning machine. By the end of the challenge, I want to feel highly energized and vital. I want to be able to keep up with my niece and nephew (right now just looking at them exhausts me). I'll be adding strength training to the routine, and I'm going to up my intensity on my cardio.

Best of all, I'm going to have some serious FUN!!!