Fitness

It looks like the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge and the Pagan Health and Fitness Blog are no more. I missed the reasons as I have been out of the loop the past couple of weeks but I am sure Serenity had good ones!!

Since fitness is an important part of my life and my path I will continue to work on my goals as I have set them previously and will periodically post an update on them here.

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge Update

This past two weeks I have been throwing a mini temper tantrum! I hurt my arm and am currently unable to do any upper body weight lifting and it has thrown me off my game. Completely!

So this week I have been slowly doing what I should have done two weeks ago. I have researched what I need to do to make sure I do not make it worse, I have gotten some medical advice and have started the strengthening exercises I need to do to mend my arm.

Of course I also searched to see how long it would take before I would start to lose the muscle mass that I had built up over the past year and a half - fortunately it takes a while for you to lose muscle mass once you have it so I have at least 6 weeks to heal and I plan on making sure I heal completely!

This incident has made me realize how much my view on exercise has changed over the past year. I miss it when I can't workout. Once I started to see changes in the tone of my muscles I was hooked!

So now that I am on the mend (I have also been sick for the past couple of days) I will have a full Fitness Challenge post this coming Sunday.

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge Update

This week was better than last. While I still had more snacks that I normally do I have not had a Diet Coke or any other type of soda or carbonated beverage since last Sunday. So, one full week without those added chemicals in my diet.

The first two days were only hard because I had a headache. The funny thing is, I don’t even miss it. I whined about quitting because I really did like my Diet Coke, however, now that I quit drinking it my skin is not as dry, I am not as hungry all the time and I don’t  worry about what the artificial sweetener is doing to my body. So total victory there!

At my Weight Watchers weigh-in I was down 1.6 pounds which makes me very happy!  I have 10 weeks left before I go home to visit my family and friends on the East Coast. I am so excited. It has been several years since I have been home and I am seriously missing it. Last time I went home, I was about 5 pounds heavier than I am now. This time I want to be about 10 pounds lighter than I am right now J

If I actually follow the Weight Watchers plan and start tracking what I eat I know I can easily do that. The great thing about Weight Watchers is that I can still have my Red Wine, still go out to lunch with the girls at work (this is one of those dreaded holiday weeks), still enjoy great tasting food and manage to lose weight. All I have to do is track what I eat so I don’t go overboard!

Since this is a holiday week I have formed a plan of attack. I am better prepared for the week of lunches and am actually looking forward to them!

No Yoga for me again this week. That is still a total fail. My focus was on letting go of the Diet Coke. I did manage to get to the gym 4 times this week for a total of 16 broom points! That is something that I really enjoy now. One of the great things about no longer drinking Diet Soda is that I now drink lots of water!

This week’s Mini Goal was to readjust my goals if necessary.  

Original Goals

Earth: I plan on focusing on eating a balanced, natural food diet. I want to eliminate some of the processed foods that I eat. This will be a gradual and ongoing process

Update: So far I am doing this. I rarely eat processed foods anymore so I would consider this goal met!

Air: I will be adding Yoga into my exercise routine on a regular basis. Yoga is great for the mind as well as the body and I believe this will be a great benefit for me, helping me to lessen the effects of everyday stresses as well as strengthen my muscles.

Update: This has not been met but I want to keep it as a goal. When I do Yoga I love it. I think it is an effective, overall, exercise for the mind and the body and I will keep at it until I have managed to incorporate into my life.

Fire: I plan on earning 150 broom points - minimum! I try to get to the gym between 3 and 4 mornings each week and work out for about an hour each time. In addition to this I will be working on my Etsy Shop as well as my other artistic endeavors, Art is my passion and that is something I will be focusing more on in the coming months.

Update: So far I have earned 80 out of 150 and I am on track to earn another 76 before the end of the challenge. I am still working on items for my Etsy shop. I have several items complete and will be adding them to the shop soon.

Water: I will be upping the amount of water I drink and eliminate that darn Diet Coke. I know it is full of chemicals, I know it is not the best drink for my body so I will be saying goodbye to my longtime favorite beverage so that I can improve my health - I believe it will be totally worth it!

Update: Achieved! Now to maintain it

Spirit: Achieving the above will nurture my mind, body and soul. Meditating on my goals, working towards them and achieving them is what I consider my holistic approach to this challenge, encompassing all of the elements in my goal to be healthy and fit.

Update: I still have some work to do on a couple of goals and need to continue with the others so I am well on my way to achieving this goal as well. I will be adding additional meditation time as that always make me feel  more in control and focused, as well as less stressed and more relaxed!

Overall, I am feeling pretty good. Now to keep it going!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge Update

This week was one of those Murphy’s Law Weeks… Anything that could go wrong did! Thankfully most of it was at work, the computers didn’t work, the phones went down, our internet was out (at work), my printer needed a part and it didn’t show up so I did not have the ability to print anything on Friday – which means that I have a lot to print this coming week! But I survived the craziness and while I feel like I ran into walls all week I am happy with my progress.

I did manage to get to the gym and earned 12 broom points – yay! I only added a tiny bit of yoga to my routine so I do not count that as having started a Yoga routine. Once again I will try to incorporate it this week.

Since I ate chocolate all week, had lots of wine and then went out to dinner Friday (the night before my weigh-in) I was not too surprised that I gained a bit. What I was happy about was that it was only a pound and that I attribute to the fact that I did get to the gym this week and mostly I eat a healthy diet.  

I had my last diet coke yesterday. I have a slight headache today but I consider it a fair trade. My man came to me yesterday and told me that he read another study on the bad affects the artificial sweetener in Diet Coke has on people. Since it was my plan to stop drinking soda and to stop yesterday it was a timely article indeed! The cool thing is he now notices things that have that in it and we are actively looking for alternative – whole, non-processed foods. Don’t get me wrong, he still bought the store brand twinkie like cake as a snack for him and our son but the majority of the foods we buy are much healthier!

This week was also full of happy things, my dad is on the mend after an agonizing round of radiation therapy for a cancer that returned. He is expected to make a full recovery! My mom is better as well, apparently she had a bad viral infection – they just told me about all of this a week ago, they didn’t want to worry me! Also, my guy is sending me home to see my childhood friends in late April. I was going to go for my birthday but the timing wasn’t quite right, now I get to see family, friends and even attend my cousins wedding reception! SO – my motivation to actually stop eating chocolate and cut down on the wine (notice I did not say give up!) is high.  We’ll see how that translates into action this week.

I hope you had a healthy, happy week!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge Update

This week was much better than the past two weeks were, I did manage to lose those 2 pounds that I gained during my foodie dream week of lunches plus a tiny bit more. I got to the gym 4 times and I feel great. As I have said before, I've been teetering on the line of the maximum weight my body is able to handle without pain and while I am still below that threshold I prefer to see the numbers on the scale go down, not up! '

At my Weight Watchers weigh in this week I realized that I am only 21 pounds from my Weight Watchers goal weight. That is exciting. It will be harder to lose the weight the closer I get to goal but I know I can do it. I am aiming for the top end of the weight range. I want to get to a healthy weight that I can maintain without starving myself - cause that is soooo not going to happen! 

I am still searching for a Yoga class that will fit into my schedule, until that time I am going to start adding some Yoga into my evening stretching routine. I did download the World of Froud Pathways to Faery Meditation app from Itunes. Wendy Froud taught me to sculpt and she and her husband are two of the most magical people I have ever met. Their meditation app is awesome!

I’ve started drinking a lot more water. I still have 1 diet coke a day and I am psyching myself up to give it up. I know it is not good for me, I know that I will be healthier without it and yet I still want it. So, I add more water and prepare myself for the day I don’t but it again – that day will be here soon. Really!

My diet is much better. I rarely eat processed foods. I’ve been cooking more and even the lunches out were at restaurants that offer unprocessed-food based meals.  For our Super bowl Sunday snack today I made baked tortilla chips and served them with fresh salsa – yum, healthy and preservative free!

I earned 16 broom points this week so I am up to 50 out of the 150 I plan to earn during this challenge.

All in all this was a good week. Goals for the coming week:

Do some basic Yoga 3 nights

Add more water into my day

Prepare myself to have my last diet coke on Saturday – yes, it will take me that long to prepare myself!

Get to the gym 3-4 times this week

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge Update - Week 5

This week was better than last but not by much. I only got to the gym twice (I did earn 8 broom points though) sue to a snafu with my membership. Fortunately that is fixed and this week will be better gym wise.

Then there was lunch! A little background…

I work a wonderful 4 – 10 hour days schedule, however, due to holiday pay issues my co-worker and I each work 4 8 hour days when there is a holiday (like last week) and we go out to lunch since we have an hour lunch instead of a half hour, The challenge is that we both love ethnic foods, last week we had Thai, Salvadoran, Indian and Taiwan style lunches J It was awesome!

So while I had a foodie’s dream week of lunches I didn’t have a good week as far as my weight. It only irritated me for a minute though. Yesterday I had a dinner plate sized pupusa for lunch and it was delicious. What did I learn from this? Well, first off, I can’t order the super pupusa, I need to get two of the regular size – I have no off switch when it comes to those, second, if I get serious and actually follow the Weight Watcher program these holiday lunch weeks will not be an issue.

I have maintained a 40 pound weight loss for 10 years, losing the last 25 is now my focus. I know that when I am at my goal weight, gaining 2 pounds during my foodie holiday lunches won’t bother me because I know that I will lose those extra pounds within a week or two. Since I am not at goal I will be planning better for those lunch weeks, fortunately they don’t happen that often!

So, not too bad a week, up a couple of pounds, lessons learned and 8 more Broom points added to my total!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge Update – Week 4

This week was a bust for me. I was sick all week, I didn’t exercise AT ALL and I generally just moped and ate. But I am finally feeling better. I only gained a pound so the damage wasn’t too bad.

It’s a new week and I’ll be back at the gym tomorrow morning. I predict that this week will be much better!

I did manage to find a couple of new healthy recipe websites that I am really pleased with!

http://www.slenderkitchen.com/

and

http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/

I made the lemon poppy seed bread on the Eat Yourself Skinny blog for a potluck at my monthly artists gathering and it was amazing! It was moist and full of flavor and still a fairly low calorie and Weight Watcher point food.

Hope you had a better week than I did!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge – Week 3 Check In

For the mini challenge this week I did two things, first I threw the ball for my son’s dog Sophie, I’ve talked about her before, the only thing she wants to do is fetch. She will chase her ratty old tennis ball until YOU drop, she has yet to tire out (even when we tag team it!). Second, I thought it would be fun to do the http://skinnyms.com/summer-arms-challenge/.

The first day of the Summer Arms Challenge was a breeze, I already lift weights so I was able to complete day one with no problem, day two however kicked my butt – in 4 minutes! Day two consists of 20 Tricep dips followed by the 4 minute Tabata workout – Oh My! You work out for 20 seconds then take a 10 second rest then move on to the next 20 second interval. You do 4 different exercises per set (20 second each with a 10 second rest in between) and 2 sets for a total of 4 total minutes. This workout is said to burn fat for up to 36 hours after you complete it. After my first try I can see why. My heart rate was high and I felt like I had just run a marathon! Of course, once I was finished recovering I felt great, seriously great. I had just completed my second day of the 7 day Summer Arms Challenge. Thankfully, the day after that workout was a day of rest, from the arms challenge and my morning treks to the gym. By Tuesday of this week I had already earned 12 Broom Points with another 12 anticipated, which is a good thing because I did enjoy my wine over the weekend.

What the Tabata workout showed me was that I need to incorporate additional cardio into my workouts, walking 4 miles per hour, which is as fast as I feel comfortable walking before I start running, is obviously not doing what I need it to do, and I can’t run due to my bad knees. So, when I went back to the gym Thursday morning, after my weight training, I changed the program on the treadmill. Instead of walking a random pattern of hills I chose to do the hill program that takes you slowly up a hill and then slowly back down (twice), having you work at each “elevation” for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, I do 30 minutes of walking so it was traveling one hill per mile. My incline was roughly 6.2% at the height of the hill. This workout got my heart rate up nicely. Friday morning, since I work out with weights at night a la SkinnyMs.com Arm Challenge, I chose to increase my walking to 50 minutes and upped the level to 8. The workout is still spread out over only two hills so you work longer at each elevation. The peak this time was 6.4%– I was working hard Friday!

Aside from the wine indulgence this week was pretty good. I found a good Yoga DVD along with another one on Meditation techniques that I really like (Elemental Goal: Air), I drank lots of water (Elemental Goal: Water) and tried to eat fruits and veggies with every meal and snack(Elemental Goal: Earth).  That is something that Weight Watchers is promoting, eat a fruit or veggie with every meal and snack. So I am working on it.

I earned 18 broom points which makes me very happy. I hit the gym 4 days and did the Skinnyms.com Summer Arm challenge exercises 5 days (Elemental Goal: Fire).

Overall I am happy with how this week went. I worked on all four of my elemental goals which make my approach balanced and makes me feel good (Elemental Goal: Spirit) and which will ultimately help me get healthy! Yay!

This morning I went to my Weight Watchers meeting and found that I had lost 1.6 pounds! Not too shabby. Now, I am off to focus on day 6 of the Summer Arm Challenge!

WInter Pagan Fitness Challenge Week 2 Check In

This morning I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting of the year. I did gain a bit but I expected that so now I am officially weighed in for the challenge, I have my goals set and I am heading to workout in just a few minutes.

I feel good. Last year I yoyo’d up and down but I managed to finish the year with an official 8 pound loss. Not too bad for half-assing it all year.  I attribute the loss to my consistent exercise and the fact that I really am much more aware of my diet since I am a long time Weight Watchers member with a goal of eating healthy, tasty, food.

This week I worked on each of my elemental goals:

Earth: I search online for clean food recipes. I tried out a zero calorie beverage that was sweetened with Stevia instead of an artificial sweetener and I started to clean out my fridge and cupboards of old and heavily processed foods.

Air: I have started my search for a yoga class that will work with my schedule. I am going to start using my Yoga DVD’s today and will continue until I find a class that works.

Fire: I went to the gym once last week but I also cleaned my house top to bottom and made my own natural, green, cleaning products (check out this post) so I earned 8 broom points. This week I plan on earning a minimum of 14 additional points.

Water: I did drink more water this week but have not started weaning myself off Diet Coke yet. I normally only have one Diet Coke a day but this past week I went out to lunch with my co-workers every day and drank diet soda during the meals so I drank a lot more than I normally do. This week I am working on only drinking 1 per day then next week I will drink one every other day, the following week will be the first week that I completely eliminate it. I have a plan!

Spirit: I am pretty happy with the way this week went, overall, I worked on each of my goals, I have a plan and that makes me feel good!

Have a wonderful, healthy day!

Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge - Week 1

I wrote these goals out during the last fitness challenge and they are still true for this challenge:

My Elemental goals

Earth: I plan on focusing on eating a balanced, natural food diet. I want to eliminate some of the processed foods that I eat. This will be a gradual and ongoing process

Air: I will be adding Yoga into my exercise routine on a regular basis. Yoga is great for the mind as well as the body and I believe this will be a great benefit for me, helping me to lessen the effects of everyday stresses as well as strengthen my muscles.

Fire: I plan on earning 150 broom points - minimum! I try to get to the gym between 3 and 4 mornings each week and work out for about an hour each time. In addition to this I will be working on my Etsy Shop as well as my other artistic endeavors, Art is my passion and that is something I will be focusing more on in the coming months.

Water: I will be upping the amount of water I drink and eliminate that darn Diet Coke. I know it is full of chemicals, I know it is not the best drink for my body so I will be saying goodbye to my longtime favorite beverage so that I can improve my health - I believe it will be totally worth it!

Spirit: Achieving the above will nurture my mind, body and soul. Meditating on my goals, working towards them and achieving them is what I consider my holistic approach to this challenge, encompassing all of the elements in my goal to be healthy and fit.

In addition to the above elemental goals I have another, measurable goal, I would like to lose about 10 pounds by the end of the challenge. I believe in losing weight in a slow, steady and healthy way and I think this is very achievable. To this goal I will continue on as a Weight Watchers member and will be focusing on consistent journaling since I know that my efforts are successful if I am consistent with my Weight Watchers food journal.

Tomorrow is my first day back to the gym in a week and I can't wait!

Fitness Update

St. Pete's Beach Florida

When I get stressed, overly tired or out-of-sorts, I think of the beach and last month I spent a lot of time thinking about sandy shores and clear blue water. Even though the Fitness Challenge has been cancelled, I am working hard to get healthy and fit. After coming to the realization last month that my diet is directly related to how I function on a day to day basis I have tried to step it up when it comes to my health.

Until recently I was half-assing it with the healthy habits. I do work out 3 - 4 times per week and I was mostly eating healthy but I wasn't balanced. Since I am hypoglycemic that is not good enough. This has been brought home to me in a rather irritating way. If I eat in unhealthy ways, if I skip a nutritious breakfast or if I load up on junk or fast food, my ability to think dwindles and my ability to create - gone! Nothing like the Goddess to give me a swift kick and tell me to get it together or be a scatterbrained, uninspired, nut - hmmmm, I think I'll eat better!

I've lived with hypoglycemia for most of my adult life. I never had too many problems, if I forget to eat I end up in lala land but since my family recognizes the signs they usually remind me to eat(I have been informed that I am very much like the "Horseless Headman" in the Snickers candy commercial - when I don't eat). Unfortunately, making sure I eat is no longer enough, now I have to eat things that are good for me! Fortunately, there are a lot of good, tasty foods that are also healthy.

So, with that wake up call still ringing in my head I have cut my diet Coke consumption to 1 a day and am slowly weaning myself off of it. I no longer eat artificial sweetener and water has become my friend.

This lifestyle change isn't easy. Sometimes I would really rather have fast food but it just isn't worth it. I refuse to spend the rest of my life, how ever long or short it will be, in a daze because I chose not to eat healthy.

So there is my health rant/update for the week.

SkinnyTaste.com

One of the best websites I have found for healthy, flavorful recipes is skinnytaste.com.

Created by Gina Homolka, this website is full of beautiful pictures, tons of recipes, step by step directions and can be searched by food type, by Weight Watcher values and more. There is a recipe box tool that allows you to save your favorite recipes in one place right on her site or you can print them in .pdf version.

Another way to follow Gina is on pinterest. You can link to her pinterest boards through her website.

So far, every recipe I have tried has been delicious and my family loves when I am making one of her recipes!

Enjoy!

Fall into Fitness Challenge Goals

I am a little late to the game but here it goes:

My Elemental goals

Earth: I plan on focusing on eating a balanced, natural food diet. I want to eliminate some of the processed foods that I eat. This will be a gradual and ongoing process

Air: I will be adding Yoga into my exercise routine on a regular basis. Yoga is great for the mind as well as the body and I believe this will be a great benefit for me, helping me to lessen the effects of everyday stresses as well as strengthen my muscles.

Fire: I plan on earning 150 broom points - minimum! I try to get to the gym between 3 and 4 mornings each week and work out for about an hour each time. In addition to this I will be working on my Etsy Shop as well as my other artistic endeavors, Art is my passion and that is something I will be focusing more on in the coming months.

Water: I will be upping the amount of water I drink and eliminate that darn Diet Coke. I know it is full of chemicals, I know it is not the best drink for my body so I will be saying goodbye to my longtime favorite beverage so that I can improve my health - I believe it will be totally worth it!

Spirit: Achieving the above will nurture my mind, body and soul. Meditating on my goals, working towards them and achieving them is what I consider my holistic approach to this challenge, encompassing all of the elements in my goal to be healthy and fit.

In addition to the above elemental goals I have another, measurable goal, I would like to lose about 8 pounds by the end of November. I believe in losing weight in a slow, steady and healthy way.

As you know if you read my blog regularly I am a current, sort of practicing, member of Weight Watchers. I have been slowly focusing on this program in a more serious way and am starting to see progress on the weight loss front. Weight Watchers is not a diet, it is a way of life, a healthy way to look at food and exercise that you can actually live with regardless of the lifestyle you have. I refuse to eat diet food. If it isn't full of flavor what is the point? Check back tomorrow for one of my favorite online healthy recipe sites.

Fall into Fitness Challenge 2012

I am so happy that Serenity Raven of Get off Your Broom is hosting the Fall into Fitness Challenge. Her challenges have always been thoughtful and focused on total health and fitness rather than on just losing weight!! I am a late joiner but am looking forward to the challenge.  This time the challenge will be focusing on the elements. Click on the picture above or the link to the right to get more information on this fantastic fitness challenge.

GOYB Fitness Challenge Update

Whew, I am slowly catching up! I am still working out with the weights but until this week I was only loosely following Weight Watchers. While I haven't lost any weight I haven't gained any either - good thing - and the weight training is awesome! I love it! When I started I only put 2.5 measly pounds on each side of my barbell and now I start off with 15 on each side and then add a bit more for different exercises. Not too bad.

The down side is that since I have not been eating as healthy as I could have been I am not really seeing my progress as I should be. I can feel it, I am stronger and my arms and legs are feeling tighter but my clothes are not fitting any different yet and that is frustrating! SO, beginning this Saturday I decided to actually eat right- I know, genius idea.

This week I have been cooking healthy meals and will continue my workouts. I have learned a lot of things that do work for me and then some that don't.

I signed up for the next fitness challenge and I am confident that I will see some great results by the end of that!

Ok, that is it for now!

Autumnwind

GOYB Fitness Challenge - Late Check In!

This week was more of the same for me. I was out of town, I only exercised 1 time and fortunately my weight stayed the same.

I did take my measurements again and even though I have not lost any weight I am down another 2.25 inches for a total of 9.25 inches since I started working out with weights.

The amazing thing is that I went from only being able to lift 3 pounds in each hand when doing chest flys to lifting 20 pounds in each hand this week for the same exercise - and yes, right now I am feeling it but the pain feels good! I am starting to see a real difference in my upper arms; the flying squirrel flap is almost gone! Yippee! Or should I say Victory!

BB my friends... I hear a hot bath calling to my aching muscles!

GOYB Fitness Challenge Week 7 update

I can't believe it is week 7 already. I stayed the same again this week with my weight. I am trying  not to get discouraged.

I KNOW that part of it is because I am working out with weights. Not only am I working out with weights I am working hard. I am now lifting between 4 and 6 times what I started with. Intellectually I know that weight training slows weight loss and I also know that I have been a slacker when it comes to my diet. I am eating healthy foods - mostly - but I am enjoying dessert and wine a little too often!

I guess I should look at the overall picture - I have lost 7 inches and 4 pounds so far. I have made huge increases in the weight I can lift and I really, really enjoy my weight training class, so much so that I actually look forward to going, I have enjoyed meals out with my man and my friends and no matter what meals I have had the scale has not registered a gain.

The challenge for this coming week is to do something completely different than I am currently doing. I am not sure what I am,going to do. I will be traveling to see my middle son so my options will be limited. I guess I'll try to use the challenge as inspiration to get my exercise in while I am in Seattle :)

On a different note...

One of my personal goals with this blog was to become more of a part of the online Pagan//Wiccan/Magical community. I have to say that I have been welcomed with open arms and I can't even being to tell you how much that means to me! To celebrate that fact I am giving away 2 lace masks, to check out the give away see this post.

Thanks. For reading my blog, for hanging out with me in cyber space and for welcoming me to this amazing community :)

Autumnwind

GOYB Update

This week was pretty much the same as last week. I worked out with weights on Saturday and Wednesday and followed Weight Watchers mostly :) I managed to only gain .2. Since I am working out with weights I am pretty pleased to have only gained .2 so far. Hopefully I won't continue to gain, as much as I know it is my body adjusting to the weight training it is still annoying!

I managed to still drink mostly water though I did have a single diet coke when I went to lunch with my other half. I find it interesting that I no longer crave it at all! That is a huge step for me. This week I want to make sure I track my diet for Weight Watchers and then add some cardio to me week.

We'll see how that goes!

Autumnwind

GOYB Week 4 Update

Changing my work schedule to 4 ten hour days has taken a bit of getting used to. Last week was so hectic that I barely turned the computer on at home. I had a couple of  late presentations, an early presentation and two dinners out - yikes! This week I will be able to get a better feel for this new schedule. I think I am going to like it.

This week has been pretty darn great on the fitness front. After a disastrous week last week, I weighed in on Saturday and found that I lost what I gained the previous week-yippee! The best news was that I took my measurements this weekend.

It has been a month since I started the weight training class and the results for month 1 are in - I lost 4 pounds and a total of 7 inches!! Yeah baby, that's right - 7 inches. I had hoped for more of a loss on the scale but I haven't been totally following Weight Watchers and weight training does slow down weight loss for a while. Either way, I am happy with the lost inches!

This month I also stopped drinking caffeine. This has helped my drink lots more water during my day.

Last weeks challenge was to ponder the excuses we make when we decide to not let our health be a priority and post 2 lists, one for why I am not exercising and one for why I am not eating a healthy diet. My lists were not too bad, right now I am doing pretty good on both fronts though I am planning to add some cardio to my week so we'll see what excuses I come up with then.

Here is the picture I have posted over my computer and next to my treadmill. This is to remind me of those 7 inches and how the hard work is starting to pay off!

I am happy with my overall diet. I get plenty of water, lots of fruits and veggies and have incorporated more seafood and less red meat. Because of the weight training I have upped my protein intake to make sure my muscles are fed properly but I am sticking to lean meats, low fat cheeses and fish.

The next GOYB challenge is to track weight and waist measurement everyday for the month. I like this idea, it will definitely give me an idea of how my weight fluctuates over the course of the month.

Have a great week!

Autumnwind

GOYB Week Three Update

Week 3 Update

This week I was sick, had two parties to attend, I was sick and well.. you get the idea.  What does all of my whining mean. Fortunately, I only missed one workout and am only up .6 - not too bad.

I did have a major achievement this week, I did not drink a single Diet Coke, not one! That is pretty huge for me. I wanted one the first couple of days but by the end of the week I didn't even miss it. Of course I was cranky and being sick made it worse but I persevered (and fortunately my friends and family have forgiven me my crankiness) and I am proud to say that I went the entire week without caffeine. The bonus of this is that I drank lots and lots of water!

This weeks challenge was to think of ways to stay on task. I am following Weight Watchers so I have their App on my phone, I track my food and activity daily. That helps a lot! If I don't track it I tend to forget. I also have a couple of pictures posted on the wall above my desk of things that inspire me. Clothes I like, things I like to do - for instance a picture of a kayaker on a lake, I love my kayak! I also have a graph that I am filling out monthly that shows my weight loss as well as inches lost. Because weight training can mess with the number on the scale I'm tracking my measurements. I took them on Jan 1st and will be taking them again on Feb 1st. I hope I see a difference!

So those are some of the things I do to stay on track.

I am looking forward to a good week!