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

Took a Few Days Off

Lately I have been burning the candle at both ends so I've had to take a couple of days off from the world wide web. I'll be back to blogging again tomorrow :)

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!

B is for Broom Closet - Pagan Blog Project

For those of you not familiar with the Pagan Blog Project check it out at http://paganblogproject.com/. This amazing project being hosted by Rowen Pendragon of One Witch's Way is pretty interesting. I have read fantastic posts by a multitude of people on many different aspects of Wicca, Witchcraft, Pagan and Magickal traditions.

When thinking about my post for this week’s Pagan Blog Project I was thinking of writing about my Besom or maybe about the Egyptian Goddess Bast, and then I got to thinking about something that I feel affects many people who follow a Pagan/Witch/Wiccan/Magical path…the Broom Closet!

We all know Magickal, Witchy, Pagan and Wiccan people who are able to practice and enjoy their beliefs out in the open. People who just ARE who they are and for whatever reason non-pagans accept them. For the longest time I just wanted to know how they did that! I’ve been a practicing witch for a long time. A solitary, eclectic and firmly entrenched in the broom closet practicing witch. That is until lately.

 I don’t know if it is because of the amazing friends I have, the support of my family or just the fact that I am older and less likely to care what others feel about my beliefs, but lately I am opening the broom closet door and letting others, including some non-pagans, get small glimpses of my witchy side. Just a bit for now but slowly I am getting more comfortable with letting some of the non-pagans in my life see who I am.

The necessity of the broom closet makes me angry sometimes. I still have a young son who will be starting high school next year and while he knows my beliefs and fully supports me, I fear that others would harass and torment him if they knew, so I keep my faith mostly hidden and have explained to him why I prefer not to discuss my beliefs publically. Is that fair? Is that right? The answer to both of those questions is no. No one should feel that they have to hide their spiritual beliefs because someone may harass their family but that is sadly the truth of our current culture.  Once my son is out of high school I won’t worry about it as much. I just can’t take the chance with my son.

 So, with that said, while I am slowly opening the broom closet door and becoming more active with my local Pagan community, I will remain within the broom closet for a bit longer, the door slightly ajar, slowly letting the non magickal people around me adjust ;0)

To those of you who are out of the closet, my pointy hat is off to you and to those of you who, like me, are not ready to open that door all the way just yet,  I salute you as well, for continuing to practice what you believe in, even though it is difficult to do so in secret.

Blessings my friends

 Autumnwind

Yippee, The Owl/Jol Gourd has arrived!

Yesterday I went to the Post Office for a package and found that the Owl/Jol Gourd that I won in a contest hosted by EHAG Emporium and created by Howling Moon Designs had arrived. Oh My Gosh! These little guys are so cute! In fact, they are even cuter in person than they are in the picture!

I want to say thank you to both EHAG Emporium and Howling Moon Designs for brightening my day! Check out the links above to see more beautiful art!

Autumnwind

GOYB Fitness Challenge Update

I  had an emotional week. Lots of things for me to think about in my life but overall it was pretty good. Health wise I did very well. I am down to 1 diet soda a day and beginning Monday I will be saying goodbye to Diet Coke. Tears may be shed but I need to eliminate those chemicals from my diet.

I went to my weight training class on Tuesday and then again today. My work schedule is changing from 5 days a week to 4 -10 hour days, which I love, but I had to adjust my workout days to accommodate the later hours.

This week I was down 3.6 pounds - which made me very happy. I know that my weight loss will slow down and may even stop due to the weight training but as long as my clothes start to fit better I'll be OK with that.

On the weight training front, today I actually tripled my weights. Beginning a weight training program involves some experimentation in what you actually lift, weight wise, so I started out with small, baby weights. On Tuesday I will be adding more weight to my barbel since I am still not struggling too much. I guess if I can finish all of the sets I am not using enough weight - yikes!

Diet wise I did fairly well. I increased the amount of protein I am eating due to the weight training class, I drank LOTS of water everyday and also had plenty of fruits and veggies.

After 2 weeks I already feel better, my clothes are starting to fit better and my attitude is more upbeat, even with the emotional challenges that I had to face this week. So, that is good.

The mini challenge this week was to think about health and health issues that affect me, my fitness and my quality of life.

I am fortunate that my health is generally good. When I am heavier than I am right now my knees and back start to hurt. I joke that I know my maximum weight limit and based on whether or not my knees and back hurt I can tell if I have reached it. This week I am finally below that limit!

My knees are an issue for me. I am not able to do high impact exercise because my knees grew wrong, at least that is what the doctors told me when I was 17 and they wanted to operate after I got whacked in the knee by a field hockey stick. When I was young I was a runner and I played field hockey and surgery would have put me on the bench for the year. I wasn't a star player but I loved it so I vetoed that surgery. The knees only bother me if I do long term high impact stuff otherwise they do fine. As I lose weight I will experiment with a higher impact workout and see if it has been weight issues as an adult or if I just need to stick to low impact. Either way works for me.

Mentally, I am a stress eater so that is one of my main heath issues. When things upset me or I have emotional issues that I have to deal with then I am all about the chocolate. So, this week I was particularly proud that I only indulged my chocolate stress craving once. My plan of attack for this issue is to just be aware of it and have healthy chocolate snacks in the house.

Have a healthy, happy week!

BB my friends

Autumnwind

A is for Art - Pagan Blog Project Post

Venus of Willendorf

One of the things I have always found fascinating with so many religious organizations is that there are some serious pieces of art associated with them. Michael Angelo’s painting in the Sistine chapel, Notre Dame Cathedral and Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper immediately come to mind when I think of religious art.

Art has always been tied to religious expression and within the Pagan/Wiccan/Witch community artistic expression is in almost everything we do.  Our Alters are works of art that we are constantly changing throughout the course of the year.  We look at the colors, textures and shapes of the world around us and make them a part of our everyday spiritual practice. A spell is a finely crafted work of art. Colors, scents, phase of the moon etc., are all a part of that process and once you fine tune it, tweak it and test it, you end up something that is not only functional but a meaningful feast for the senses (Also Known As - Art)  

Some of the earliest forms of art are attributed the worship of the Goddess. Stone carvings, jewelry, petroglyphs, all created for the love of the Divine. 

I have more to say and I will get to that and add some more pictures later.

BB my friends

Autumnwind