Feeling Hopeful :D

So.. Yes Hello and here we are on day two and boy am I aching in all sorts of ways and places. I got my workout in last night it was a little late about 10:30pm but I got it in none the less. So this morning I was definitely feeling the effects of the work I put in, but I refuse to let that hinder me from getting in my workout today.

Umm.. okay so I have a confession to make. Yesterday, while out at a bookstore I sat down to read and it was a bit nippy where I was sitting enjoying my read, so I decided that I wanted something warm to drink to warm me up a bit. So I go up to the cafe and ordered:

A chai tea latte, with a couple of extra shots of vanilla, topped with whipped cream and a CARAMEL DRIZZLE... and as if that was not bad enough of course I add two splendas to top it off!! WHO DOES THAT?? Apparently I do.. (shaking head) It's what I USUALLY order. The sad part about was it didn't even dawn on me that I could definitely made a better beverage choice until I heard the lady behind me order her latte with the healthy bare minimums and I thought oh my gosh what did I just do??!!

I must say I couldn't even enjoy my "sugar" latte after I realized how easy it was for me to forget for even a moment everything I vowed and pledged. I was so upset with myself I skipped dinner completely (wrong answer) and was kicking myself in the butt for the rest of the night.

But I can tell you one thing I didn't let it get me all the way down, I knocked out my work out that evening even though it was getting late.. so I felt that I redeemed myself a little bit for what it was worth, but I have to remember to always keep my goals ahead of me and not let myself make thoughtless decisions about what I put in my body.

Today has been a good day, I followed through with my healthy meals throughout the day starting with breakfast. I made a healthy dinner for me and my husband and managed to eat it before 8pm and it was good. I ate only until I was satisfied not full, and now in about 40 min after the show The Biggest Loser of course I will be hitting the treadmill for my 30min/ 2mile interval run.

Being able to run 2miles in 30min is pretty standard for me, but I will know I am really improving when I can finish my 2miles in less than 30 min. I'll be keeping you posted... Wish Me Luck!!

Progress, not perfection

Today -- for the second day in a row, my alarm clock did not go off at 5:30am. No matter. I said I was going to exercise in the morning and I meant it. So, I headed downstairs, greeted Denzel (my elliptical), popped a DVD into the player (Little Mermaid this morning, must find some new selections) and got started.

I've been consistently using the elliptical for about month now. I'm up to 16 minutes at a time, monumental for me though small potatoes to someone like my skinny sister who can exercise for 60 minutes without needing to call for oxygen.

Then why is it still so hard?! I'm not getting breathless, which is good. But dang! Do my legs hurt! Maybe I'm just wimpy? Could be. But I pushed on, even trying to sing with Ariel once without much success. I've got my sights set on 20 minutes; maybe by this time next week I'll be able to do that. Baby steps, I'm telling myself.

I wonder if I'll ever be one of those people who loves to exercise? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm hoping that I'll love what it's doing for my body.

Did you get some activity in today? Do you love it or just love what it does for you?

Off like a turtle...

Reading about the other challengers and their motivation is probably the best medicine I could have.

And I need it -- first day of the challenge, I woke up with a cold and a stuffy nose, the whole megillah. That makes counting calories a little easier, and it certainly is a good way to get plenty of liquids (need it to swallow those big Vitamin C tablets, 1000 mg).

But still, it's not easy to do a really good workout when you're coughing and feeling all dried up, so I got my exercise in the form of a brisk 30-minute walk in the afternoon with Isaac the dog. I remember Dr. Branyas saying that walking him would be a good form of exercise, especially since "dogs love to run, and you can pick up the pace..." OK, we did NOT run, Dr. B, but we definitely did our thing together. And we were both better for it.

I love that the other challengers have been so honest, listed their goals and cited inspirational passages to get the job done. The sense of gratitude is also very powerful, and I embrace it.

My goals are pretty simple:
I learned long ago that starvation/binging was not going to take the weight off, so I'm concentrating on eating healthy and modestly -- small portions -- three times a day. Yes, breakfast is best!

In order to bring my cholesterol levels down, and peel off the pounds, I need to cut out about 200 calories a day -- can do it thru cutting back on food AND ramping up the exercise.

My biggest goal, frankly, is to carry this with me wherever I go, not to get discouraged and not to fall victim to all-or-nothing thinking. Slow and steady wins the race....trust, faith and thankfulness.

So I am "off like a turtle" and grateful for it.

Good luck to all of us!

Trying to Get It Right For the 100,000 Time!!

Hello All,

As I embark upon this journey I plan to be open and honest with you about my every struggle, temptation, and triumph.

All my life I characterized myself as being short, dumpy, half the time feeling pretty frumpy and the victim of bad genes. At 5'2 and 26 years old I am at the heaviest I've ever been... Hello My Name is Dee.

Generally I am a pretty happy person, I love to live and laugh but inwardly I have struggled with a reality that seems to only get worse as I age, and all I can think in the back of my mind are my mother's words of wisdom "It's important to gain control of your weight now because as you get older it only gets harder."

hmmm... yea that was 10 years ago and in that 10 years the weight has seem to creep up a little higher here and a little higher there.

So at age 26 at that rate, I hate to see where my weight might end up at 30!! SO I'M TAKING ACTION NOW!! Trying to take action and make up for lost time and weight gained. I know it's possible it has to be, I've seen and heard too many success stories for it not to be, but for some reason I have trouble thinking that the same could happen for me. How do you gain a different perspective/positive outlook on something that you have always seen as a negative aspect of your life for so long?

So I sat down and weighed it out and these are my goals:

1. CHANGE MY DARN STINK'N THINKING!! (I can do this and weight loss is in reach!!)

2. RESEARCH HEALTHY RECEIPIES THAT BOTH MY HUSBAND AND I CAN ENJOY

3. START EVERY MEAL WITH A HEALTHY BREAKFAST

4. HAVE THREE HEALTHY MEALS A DAY/WITH 2 HEALTHY SNACKS IN BETWEEN

5. DO CARDIO AT LEAST 5 TIMES A WEEK/WEIGHT TRAINING 3 TIMES A WEEK

6. RESIST EMOTIONAL EATING

7. INCREASE DAILY WATER IN TAKE

8. CONSUME ALL MEALS BEFORE 8PM

9. CHART ALL FOOD AND FLUID INTAKE AND WORKOUTS IN A DAILY LOG

10. PRACTICING PATIENCE WITH MYSELF


Then I started to think... How I dare I blame any of my weight shortcomings on bad genes? I have so much to be thankful for due to the genes that were passed down to me. It's not always about changing what God gives you, but truly loving yourself in your own skin and if it needs improvement, IMPROVE IT. But until we as women make the conscious decision to do so and do it effectively we really have absolutely NO ONE TO BLAME but ourselves.

So I ask you to join me in this Amazing Journey, as I find the BetterME I hope that you may also find the BetterU. Together let's vow to give 110% in every effort to improve our health, our appearance, and restore the confidence that every women deserves to have.

Vow to exercise patience with ourselves realizing this is going to take time, and there IS NO QUICK FIX!! (I'm still learning this myself)

AND

To continue moving forward even on the days we may fall short, approaching everyday as new opportunity to have stronger will power and motivation to succeed than the day before.


All my life weight has been a struggle, but I am going in with a new attitude on life and a new attitude about myself. I am strong, determined, and fully capable of changing my life around for the better and I am excited to see just how much I can prove myself wrong... YES WEIGHTLOSS CAN HAPPEN TO ME TOO... Hello My Name is Dee!!

Here we go!

Finally, the first day of the challenge! I have been so excited to start the program and feel absolutely honored to have been chosen. The GoRed team is fabulous and have made the challengers feel welcomed and supported. My hope is to not only change my lifestyle habits throughout the challenge, but also help others who are feeling a need for change, support, and encouragement along the way.

I came to the challenge because I felt I had abandoned my own health needs and was in hopes of finding a support group to encourage me to commit to a new lifestyle. I think many of us need support and outside networks often are the key to finding new resources to help us with our needs. I have always been involved in physical fitness, but over the last several years have not worked out at all. I find myself tired, apathetic, and making excuses for my lack of involvement.

I had several life "obstacles" over the past several years and found myself not taking care of my needs. I have had the courage to look at these "obstacles" now as opportunities for change and renewal. My father died of a massive heart attack within these years and I wanted to make a choice to change my habits to honor his memory. I had quit smoking for nine years and started smoking again. My biggest challenge will be quitting smoking again.

I am a special education teacher and have been for 20 years. I often give too much of myself to others and tend to neglect myself. I have found that you can only give to others when you give to yourself first. This is a hard lesson for me! Because I tend to be somewhat of an overachiever, I have decided to make smaller goals for myself in beginning the challenge. I have started going to the gym and walking at school. I am trying to also be cognizant of my eating habits since I tend to often neglect eating at all.

So....to launch off the week I have made the following goals:

Walk every morning at school - Go Red launch for the kids - they are doing mathematical calculations of my walking distance in terms of miles. My brother is a teacher in Illinois and my mom a teacher in Iowa - so we are "walking" westward to "see" them. We are planning on writing letters about the challenge and pinpointing our daily distance on a map!

Go to the gym 4 times this week!

Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner - plus 8 glasses of water a day!

Cut down on smoking to 10 a day....I already blew the QUIT on the 1st - but not going to let it stop me!

Be gentle and kind to myself - relaxation and meditation to focus and reassure myself of my worth and commitment to a healthy life

So, come and join us on our journey! We would love to have you alongside us! Go Red Indy!!!

59 Minutes...Ready, Set, Go!

Greetings America~

Thinking big and reaching wide...my name is Jessica, I am a work in progress, and YOU are about to become part of my world. Welcome!

The BASICS: Who, What, Where, When & Why?

Me, transforming my life, right before your very eyes, beginning now, because I want to live. Come join me?

FACTS: I love food. Looking at it, reading about it, preparing it, tasting it, and creating fond memories of great dining experiences. Food - glorious food - I'm always anxious to try it.

I do not love exercise (in general). Push-ups, sit-ups, stair climbing, and bike riding are all word combinations I personally believe should be eliminated from everyday language. Ha.

CHALLENGE: To reverse, or at a minimum, to marry the 2 sentiments above until they become a balanced and healthy component of my life.

GOAL: Fantastic Numbers & New Life

Lower weight, lower bad cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and losing the mask...my sleep mask, not the one I wear everyday to make people more comfy around my aching soul. [ouch, must reframe - sometimes truth hurts]

MANTRA: I am standing on the promises of God, yes and Amen. I am standing firm and nothing shall move me. I am giving myself to God as He who began a good work in me shall complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6, Mark 11:24, Jeremiah 29:11

So, here we go...joyful hearts...let's GoRed and let's get well!

p.s. Thank you American Heart Association

And away we go

Tomorrow is our official start for the Better U challenge. Dee and I had a great time at WISH-TV this morning talking about this opportunity. And we meant what we said -- we hope other women will take on this challenge and join us here on the blog to share challenges and successes.

So I'd be ready to roll for week 1, I downloaded the Better U coaching tool, adding it to my personal blog and to my Facebook page. You can also choose to download it to your computer's desktop -- put it wherever it will remind you to stay the course for the next 12 weeks and beyond!

The first step is to click the button above to register (FREE!) for the Better U program. Then you'll be invited to download the coaching tool. I will say that I encountered a few frustrations getting into the program once I'd gotten the tool set.

TIP: Click "Update Your Journal" on the coaching tool to get into the program to set your goals for the week.

There are a few pages of easy reading about heart disease and realistic goal setting. Then you have the opportunity to set your own goal(s) and reward(s). Don't worry -- it's all for your eyes only!

But I'll share my Week 1 goal with you:

My Goal
This week I will exercise for 15-20 minutes 5-7 mornings on the elliptical trainer and do 30 minutes of the Wii Fit at least 3 times in the evening.

My Reward (I had a really hard time coming up with this!)
I'll buy some new makeup -- eyeliner and blush.

Barriers
Getting to bed early enough so I can get up early in the morning to exercise.

Strategies
I will set an alarm for 10:30pm to signal bedtime, as well as an alarm for 5:30am for waking up. This is important for me, as the hours seem to fly by while I'm flipping channels or surfing the web!

And on that note, since it's past 10:30pm, I'm off to bed! Hope to have many of you joining us to create a BetterU, too!