Motivational Monday January 24, 2011

Well, it’s hard to feel motivated today. I’ve been “trying” to lose weight for 3 weeks now and due in large part to a nasty, persistent cold/sinus infection, I’ve managed to lose exactly two-tenths of a pound. I know, I know. Down is better than up. Still, I said in large part because during the worst of the cold, I consciously made numerous decisions to eat crap because I was sick, tired, miserable, etc. I knew better.

Today, in spite of sinuses that just won’t quit, I am determined to improve. A support group I belong to, Weight-Shedding Freelancers, has been inspirational. So many of the people in this group have shared their stories, their successes and their setbacks, that it helps knowing I am not the only struggling.

Today I have to work. It means long hours of driving in the car and little chance for movement. It is also supposed to rain a good deal of the day so no finding a place to park and go for a walk. However, tonight is the Zumba class at the library. I missed last week because I was sick. Even though I still can’t breathe, I am going to that class. I have got to kick this into gear. I will not be the only one in support group to reach the one-month mark weighing the same as I did when I started.

My goal this week is simple. I will find a way to work in some kind of exercise for at least 20 minutes every day. That’s it. No excuses. And if I don’t, please feel free to kick me in the ass.

Motivational Monday

I had such high hopes for this week but instead I went up .1 pound to 253.7. Now I realize in the big scheme of things, a tenth of pound is nothing. I also realize there will be highs and lows on this journey. It is just very discouraging to step out into the New Year this way. It’s time for some motivation.

Motivation is something I struggle with. I think we all do. Staying revved up when things are going well is easy. But when you’ve watched your portions and exercised more in a week than you have done in 6 months and scale laughs back at you, it is disheartening.

My brain is hardwired to see my disappointments, my shortcomings as failures. Failure takes the wind right out of me. Whether it is weight loss, work or some aspect of my personal life, I do not do failure well.

So I must break the pattern. But how? I’ve decided to call Mondays, Motivational Monday. I want to use today to kick off each week with something inspiring or meaningful. Whether your goal is weight loss, work-related, to quit smoking or anything else, we can all inspire one another.

I found an anonymous quote this morning, “You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.” Whether the water is the symbol for bad habits, procrastination or attitude, the saying holds true. I know I hold myself back by focusing on my failures instead of my accomplishments.

This last week was emotionally trying for me. So in spite of great portion control and exercise, I indulged in chocolate binging, knowing full well it would A) not satisfy me because I was emotionally needy, not hungry and B) sabotage my weight loss plan and reaffirm that I am a failure. I am going to get out of the water.

A friend and fellow writer, Marie Anne St. Jean, came up with an idea last week. She started Fess-Up Friday on her blog and pledged to use Fridays as a way to be accountable for how she used her week to achieve her goals (or not). She also invited others to share the confessions with comments and links to their own blogs.

I am inviting you to do the same here but on Monday and with messages of inspiration. Motivational Monday will be about how we lose motivation, how we get it back, where we find and so on. Its not limited to weight loss so please feel free to link your blog here. Maybe we can create something amazing by linking up with others who are trying to find or share motivation. And in the end, if it helps us achieve whatever our goal is, isn’t that what this is all about?

Enter your Motivational links by clicking "Click here to enter":

Fess-Up Friday

Me in November 2009 at my highest weight

I love that title and I admit, I borrowed it from a friend and fellow writer, Marie Anne St. Jean. She is one of the freelance writers embarking on the weight loss journey with me. Marie Anne had this wonderful idea about using Fridays to talk about what we achieved throughout the week, whether it is personal goal, weight loss efforts, writing goals or any other type of goal we might have set for ourselves. It might even mean talking about our struggles and failures. I think it’s an amazing idea and I plan to employ it here.

I set Mondays as my weigh-in date, though, so I won’t be reporting my weight today. Many of my fellow journeyers are reporting losses for their first week and I am encouraged by all the good news. I hope I can report a loss come Monday as well.

So what have I been doing? Well, a lot actually. I am trying to keep my workouts varied and interesting. If something becomes too routine, I get bored and I’m not as likely to stay with it long term. I already owned the Wii Fit Plus exercise program and a treadmill. I added the Wii Fitness Coach 2 and Wii Zumba for this year. On Monday I attempted the Zumba beginner level, set at the shortest possible duration – 20 minutes – and it almost killed me. I think you need to already be fit to do Zumba but I am not giving up. I made it through half of the class before succumbing to fatigue accompanied strange sounds emanating from my throat as I gasped for air. I will attempt Zumba again today.



Tuesday I used the My Fitness Coach 2 program and was pleasantly surprised. After completing a profile which asked a few questions about my age, preferences and things like would I define myself as a hammock-lounging couch potato, a moderately-fit dog walker or an Olympic decathlon medalist, it created a workout program suited to my condition and goals. It lets you pick 2 areas to focus on such as weight loss, muscle toning, reducing the tummy, etc. I tried to pick them all but it limits you to 2 at a time. The workout combines stretching, toning and muscle building. Squats, knee-push-ups, marching (to warm up) and leg lifts were a few of the exercises in my routine. It offers a lot more but I’m sure I’ll be talking about the other features as I work my way through them.

Wednesday I dusted off the treadmill and walked at a speed of 3 mph for 20 minutes. Yep, I walked a mile and it felt great. I wanted to do more but didn’t want to push too hard my first week. I’m trying to learn where my current limits are again.

Yesterday I did the Fitness Coach 2 again. The routine only takes about 10 minutes once you’re familiar with the exercises. This didn’t feel like enough so I followed it with 17 mins of Wii Fit Plus aerobic exercises.

All in all, I’ve done really well with trying to fit in 20 minutes of activity each day. I didn’t make it the first day but I have since then. I think the goal is setting realistic goals. Achieving them gives me the reinforcement I need to push forward.

I’d love to hear how you’re doing. Leave a comment or link to this blog post and I will try to return the favor.

Check the list of bloggers I follow on the right. Here is Marie Anne's post about Fess-Up Friday

Back from the Past

Some of you may have followed this blog on another platform. I moved it here for convenience. So let's get down to business.

Last year I started my weight loss plan to coincide with the arrival of my first garndbaby, Baby J. She is now 13 months old and tearing up the place. She's as sweet as can be and I love her to pieces.

My thought was to get in better shape so I could be around to watch her grow up for a long time. Over the course of last year, I lost 21 pounds. Pretty good. I still have a long way to go. The holidays came I let things go. So now I'm back op to 253.6. Huge, right? That's ok, because this year I have friends to help.

Some fellow writers have joined together to support one another in our efforts to lose weight. We call ourselves Weight Shedding Freelancers. This group is amazing because all these wonderful people are sharing their stories, their weights, their measurements and their plans for a better future. It takes guts to do that and I am proud to be part of that.

Today, I opened the case that contained one of my self-selected Christmas presents.. Zumba for the Wii. I have seen Zumba classes and they are high energy and look like a lot of fun. Exercise for me has to be fun or I have a hard time sticking with it. So I dressed accordingly: sweats, baggy t-shirt, gym shoes and my hair in a pony tail. Wait - that's how I dress everyday.

Anyway, I set up my profile, selected "easy" and chose a 20 minute workout. Let me just say, ten minutes later, Zumba tried to kill me! It was fun but a bit faster than I thought a beginner lesson would be. It's all good though. I will try it again on Thursday. In between I will be doing other things to keep the monotony down.

I'll be weighing in on Mondays but blogging about what I'm doing through out the week so come back and check it out. I'll also be adding blogs for all my friends who have weight loss blogs so you can see if something they are doing might work better for you.

Check out the Wii ZUmba here. Or look for it on your platform (Playstation 3, XBox 360)