The Trouble with Competitions

As I type, I am walking on my treadmill, fretting about tomorrow's final weigh in for the Biggest Loser challenge at work. During this challenge I realized something about myself. That when I think of losing weight for the challenge, I can't. When I stop thinking about the challenge, I can. Weird. Glad it's almost over, I can get back to normal again.

I've always thought that challenging myself, and competing against others was the best way to get motivated in my journey. Turns out that was the exact opposite of what I should have been doing. I spend so much time worrying about it and thinking about it that I forget to do anything about it. All that stress just adds up to emotional eating, and everything backfires. There's also a little voice in my head that tells me how great it would be to see a certain other person win. That they want it more or need it more or deserve it more. And being the giving personality I am, I think I'm subconciously sabotaging myself to give them a better chance. I know, silly huh, but there you have it.

So, no more weight loss competitions for me. Just healthy choices and let the weight handle itself.

Healthy and Happy Living

Everything

Well Monday is my next weigh in for the challenge at work. So tomorrow I'm going to spend the day sweating. Not out of nervousness, but because I'll be working out. Going to hit the gym, hit the pool, hit the bands, and whatever else I can hit to burn off every last calorie I can spare. It's my last chance workout. On one hand, I know any pound lost is a good thing, but I think my competitive nature is kicking in now that I realize that people at work are taking this seriously. Now, I know I can't expect to drop 10 pounds in a day, I'll hope for a couple at least. I figure if I'm drenched with sweat and can't move Monday morning, then I did a good job.

Sometimes, Life happens. So I missed my training session this week. So no new tips from my trainer this week. Darn, well. I learned that bouncing on my stability ball burns way many more calories in a day (according to my bodybugg), if I add it to what I'm already doing (can't replace all my workouts with it.) But I did find some exercises to do on my ball besides sitting and bouncing check it out here.

Thought this was cool too, it's a base to put your ball on. J Fit 10-0900 Stability Ball Base

Healthy and Happy Living

Modify for Success

"Modify for Success" my trainer said to me at my session last Friday. This was in response to the horrified look I gave him when he said I would be doing pull ups. On one hand I know how trainers work, and was afraid he was actually going to make me struggle through pull ups, and I felt like I was in my high school PE class again. On the other hand, I wanted to laugh out loud at how ridiculous the prospect of me accomplishing a pull up was. OK, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, he hasn't yet steered me wrong. So we walk through the gym to a very strange contraption, he explains it to me, but it doesn't make it seem any less strange and scary.
Basically it's a movable bar, so you can adjust the height, from almost on the floor to way above my head. The purpose is to give you a level in which you can accomplish push ups and pull ups without going full out. So with the bar about stomach high, I pushed out some pull ups, and with the bar about chest high, I pulled off some pull ups. At the time, all I thought was "Cool, like that I can do this." But yesterday as I took my afternoon walk, I started thinking about it again.

"Hm," I thought to myself. "It seems to me, I can take that phrase and apply it to just about anything. Modify for Success." Well, if that didn't get my mind churning. What else in my life needs accomplishing that is a struggle? Well, obviously my weight loss efforts. So, Modification #1: Altered mindset. It dawned on me that in the 2 weeks before the Biggest Loser contest at work started, I had dropped over 10 pounds without really trying. I just started moving more, watched my portions, threw in more fruits and veggies and increased my water intake. I wasn't thinking about how much weight I lost every single day. Well, since the contest started, that's all I can think about. Every day, "Did I lose any weight today," "Did I do anything I shouldn't have," "What did I eat that I shouldn't have," and all sorts of other negative thoughts. Head slap moment, what am I thinking! This isn't just about losing weight, this is about lifestyle changes towards a healthier me! So, switch that mindset back to what was working before. I am no longer focusing my efforts on winning the contest, I'm back to focusing on healthier living. If it isn't a change I am making in my lifestyle, it isn't something I need to do. Even after a few hours with this new mindset, I feel so much better about myself. For a while there, I had forgotten that I liked myself!

Now, a big part of my efforts are in blogging & Twitter. So, Modify for Success number 2 & 3 - Twitter is now mu homepage. So every time I log in to the internet, I'm brought right into the warm support of my tweoples! As for my blog, those of you who have been here before, probably noticed the dramatic changes. It feels more like me now. I feel at home in my blog. And besides being prettier to look at, I think it has really given me more freedom in my writing. I'm not afraid to say anything, so don't be surprised if my posts start to sound different. You're getting insight to the real me now. In addition to the cosmetic modifications, I'm modifying my blogging for success by making a schedule of things to talk about. So coming soon you'll start to see my weekly recap (including weigh in) every Monday, I'll start featuring a Weight Loss Blog Buddy, you'll see healthy recipes (deserts for sure!), Fitness tips and articles including tips from my trainer, and more.

Now, this isn't all about me anymore! If you notice, I also changed the name of my blog. It is now "Journey to a Healthier Life", I'm modifying for the success of all my followers who want to live healthier lives.

Healthy and Happy Living

De'Anna

The Hike

Wednesday, I went on a hike with some of the challengers at work. It was a beautiful place to hike. Here I am thinking a nice leasurly hike through a park would be fun. Boy, was I ever wrong there. It was not a leasurly hike, it was a grueling uphill climb for a good 45 minutes. 5 minutes in I was already feeling tired, halfway through the climb my legs burned so bad. I was miliseconds from quitting, turning around and headed right back down. But our fearless team leader, Zen, was there with me. Staying behind the pack to make sure I made it, giving me the gentle encouragements I needed to push through. She had no doubt that I would make it, that she gave me the strength that I needed to do it. As we got to a split in the path, Zen told me that one direction would be a gentle downhill path back to the cars, and the other would be a gentler uphill climb to a curve in the path. She asked me if I wanted to try going further, and there was suddenly a battle in my head. The competitive-never-give-up side screamed "YES! We can make it to the top of that! Lets Go!" while the side of me that felt the pain in my legs, and the shortness in my breath whimpered "Please no, we can't take anymore." As I waged my internal battle, Zen was once again my voice of strength, she said it wasn't that far, just around the bend and she knew I could make it. So we did. I made it. We turned around, and I looked out at the wonderful view of the hilltops, the trees, the greenness of it all. It was breathtaking (not that I had much breath anyway). And in that moment, I realized it didn't matter how much pain I had been in, it was totally worth it. I didn't even feel the pain anymore. As we headed back down to the cars, I felt a sense of acomplishment that made me feel like I could do anything. Surprisingly enough, I'm actually looking forward to the next hike.

So, ever thought to yourself "I can't do that, I'm not in good enough shape." Yeah, so have I. But instead of listening to that voice, I listened to all the other voices saying I could. We can do anything we set our minds to!

My biggest lesson through this adventure, was that it is VERY important to drink plenty of water before strenous physical exercise. Zen made sure to drill that into my head (because I didn't). So to all you out there in cyberland, if you are going to exercise, be sure you are drinking your water throughout the day beforehand, don't try drinking a gallon of water 30 minutes before hand, spread it out. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Tender Muscles

Boy oh boy, I had no idea I would still be sore 24 hours after taking that class. Yesterday I took a 24LIFT class at 24 Hour Fitness. On the plus side, you can take the class at your level. Adjust the weights to your ability, different ways to do certain exercises. But, wow, that does not make it easy by any stretch of the imagination! OK, so I'm sure it's partly my part - I am stubborn and don't know when to quit, so I know I pushed myself too hard. Had I not, it would have still been a great workout, but maybe I wouldn't be walking funny.

If you get stuck in a workout rut & need to shake things up, I highly recommend taking a class - aerobic or strength training - to find something new to do and get back into the groove.

Tomorrow a group of us from work, that are participating in the Biggest Winner/Loser challenge, are going on a wilderness hike, which should be lots of fun. Wish me luck. :)

Twitter Support Group

All I can say is WOW. Through all the trials and tribulations of previous weight loss attempts (and failures), I've never had such a quick to respond, widespread, active and helpful support group. Today I was VERY tempted to fall back on good old soda, and my wonderful Twitter friends talked me out of it, letting me know how good I was doing & giving me other options to try instead. With a support group like this under you, how can you possible fail? My spirits have been lifted, my resolve renewed.

Not only do I have my tweeps, but a growing support system at home. My mom is behind me, a couple friends and co-workers and keeping me lifted, and my husband has been so supportive. He tells me all the time how proud he is of me. He even made me my healthy breakfast this morning. Then there is the Biggest Loser challengers at work, our wonderful team leader (Zen) who is supportive, encouraging, and gives us those gentle reminders to do what we're supposed to (like when I didn't take the stairs this morning, after talking to her I walked back downstairs and up again). I feel like everything in my life is falling into place to get me to where I want and need to be. Pretty soon, I'll be one hot mama!

Went for a nice long walk at lunch today with a group that is participating in the Biggest Loser challenge at work. As much as I enjoy walking by myself, I realized that walking with other people pushes me to walk faster than I normally would. I was quite winded when I got back. Follow that up with a 3 flight stair climb. Pretty good workout for the afternoon. Need to do my floor mat exercises tonight too, going to be like 2 hours of exercise today by the time I'm done. It's a good day.

Today's Random Act of Kindness: When looking for a counter to put on the blogs I manage (my 2 and my mom's 2), I found one that include a link to a charitable org under the counter. So instead of going with one that was just normal, I went with the charity link. Even if it only generates $1 for a charity, every dollar counts.

Biggest Loser Challenge - Day 1

So here we go, day one of the office Biggest Loser challenge. Our team leader has given us the homework assignment of parking further away from the office, and using the stairs. I hate stairs. We've got a nice big group from the office participating, so we'll all have eachother for support. I know why you're really here, you want to know some numbers, right? Well alright, here you go:

At home weight (birthday suit): 264.2

Official contest start weight (shoes on): 266

Our weigh ins are not every week, there are 5 spaced out over the length of the contest. So I'll keep up with my normal weekly weigh ins and post my ongoing results, and will update you on how I'm doing on the contest as those weigh ins happen.

I thought quitting soda would be simple, WRONG! Now that I'm in the place of temptation (my office where all the break rooms are loaded with soda), I'm struggling. Can I really drink plain old water with that yummy Cherry Coke Zero staring me in the face. It's only one point for the healthy challenge, right? Stop, wait, it's not just about that is it? No, I'm trying to live a healthier life, and soda has no health benefits. It's empty emptiness, and rots your stomach. I don't need it, and I know once I get the taste of it out of my mind I won't want it anymore. I hope.

Now, we have a wonderful lady in my department who absolutely loves to bake. She is so sweet as to bring her goodies into the office to share with everyone. Isn't that nice? Today she brought in cupcakes...I can smell them right now. I mentioned that it was the first day of our BL contest, to which she giggled and said something about "building willpower," I think she has a hidden mean streak. I keep walking by them, haven't given in to the temptation. Wonder how many calories is in one of those... probably more than I want to give up on them. Too much temptation for one day, I'm exhausted!

Office Biggest Loser Contest

Week 1 Results

What an amazing week. Besides a minor case of the sniffles, I feel fantastic! Here are the results:

Pounds lost this week - 5.6, not a bad week.

Total Pounds lost from my high - 10.6 (watch the sliding scale move each week)

Lesson for the week:

Staying hydrated does not mean drinking 8 - 8 oz glasses of water the minute you get up. You can't expect to stay hydrated all day on that, you'll just have to go to the bathroom sooner. You need to keep drinking water all day long. I aim for 4 to 8 oz of water for each hour I'm awake (a little more around workout time or if it's really hot).

Remember, next week my weigh ins will change to Monday's to coincide with the Biggest Loser contest at work I'm taking part in. So you'll get to see my pre-weekend and post-weekend weights. Scary thought. :)

Virtual "Skinny" picture

OK, so it's not exactly a "skinny"picture, but this is what that Virtual Belly Flattener I mentioned a couple blogs back decided I'd look like 50 lbs lighter. We'll see how close they are.

Week one is almost done. My first weigh in is Friday morning. Starting next week though, my weigh ins will change to Monday, to coincide with a Biggest Loser type contest we are doing at work. So today I need to get in my "last minute workout".

I'm discovering that it is important to take a good multi-vitamin in addition to drinking enough water to stay hydrated, especially when losing weight or body fat. Since as the fat breaks down it releases any stored toxins into your body, taking the multi-vitamin helps shore up your defenses & staying hydrated helps flush those toxins out. So now that I've got a little cold, it's time to start doing those things I know I should be.

Until tomorrow, have a healthy day!

Getting to know me & you!

I am embarking on a journey to a healthier and fitter me, and I'd like you to join me. I'm going to tell you all about me and you can follow my weight loss journey, I'd like to hear yours as we go along too.

Here goes, I'm putting myself totally out there. I'm going to share something that most women don't like to share. My weight! I am currently 31 years old and weigh in at 270 lbs (I'm already down 5 from my highest of 275). Not a number I'm very proud of. My "Before" picture is to the left.

Here's a little about me and what I'm doing. I am a wife and mom (my son is 13), I have a full time job & run an internet business with my mom on the side. So as you can imagine, I don't have a lot of time. I've been working in the Fitness industry for 9 years in a corporate office, and have a hard time listening in meetings about all the health risks overweight people have. I've been lucky so far not to have any major health concerns, but I'd like to be sure I'm around to see my grandkids and great-grandkids.

I recently had the previlidge of meeting in person Ali, the first female Biggest Loser from the Biggest Loser show. Now I've watched the show since the first season (on the couch with my pizza or ice cream or other really bad for me food), but this was a bit of a turning point for me. Meeting one of the winners made it real, and I suddenly thought to myself "If she can do it, I can do it!" So here I am serious enough about this that I'm willing to share myself with the world (or anyone who will listen). I hope you'll join me and not ony watch my journey and those of other readers to come, but take your own journey to a healthier you.