A Shared Struggle Strengthens Motivation

Daily accountability. For me, I have found this to be a necessity - a motivational tool. I do and will always continue to struggle with food, but with my accountability group through Beachbody, I am able to connect with others on the same journey, working on the same goals, struggling with many of the same temptations. This has become such a vital part of my process that I am about to embark on a new journey - that of Beachbody coach. I can't think of any better way to continue my own accountability than helping and motivating others in the same position I find myself daily.

Setbacks and Successes

Love this thought. And both setback and success describe my past week. The 21 Day Fix is wonderful. I love the 30 minute workouts. They allow for do-able, consistent morning workouts. The containers are a great visual for understanding proper portions.
     This past week I managed to exercise and follow most of the container portions. There were a couple of setbacks - usually pertaining to food; however, those setbacks were not nearly what they would have been in the past. And even with those, I managed to lose 4 pounds this week!
    




The beauty of this program, for me, is that I am learning that when I eat clean for the most part, those times when I want something "not so clean" are more enjoyable and less detrimental to my health overall. And my mentality about food has changed. I no longer think that just because I "stumble on the path" I have to end the journey or allow the stumble to turn in to a full blown crash. Truth is sometimes stumbling causes a refocusing on the path itself. This journey is for life, I may stumble, but I will not be detoured from the path on my journey to better health.

Twenty-one Days and Beyond

My eyes have been opened. I am no longer suprised by my lack of weight loss (though I have lost a couple of pounds since so far). I recieved the 21 Day Fix today. As I read through the information and checked out the colored containers, I realized how much more I eat than is necessary to get and keep my body fueled. I have always heard that restaurant portions were much too large, but my own portions (even after I thought I was eating less) are still way too large. This new eating program is going to prove very interesting.

One of the aspects that I really like is that even though you use containers, you do not eat from the containers. The food is still put on a plate. The idea behind the 21 Day Fix is HABIT and understanding. It is not meant to have you eating out of the colored containers for the rest of your life but to give you the ability to recognize the appropriate portions of different foods necessary for fueling the body well. Eat this way and exercise for 21 days and hopefully a habit - a healthy habit will be formed. Makes a lot of sense to me, especially after realizing what a portion really should be.

So here's to creating a new habit. A healthy habit. A lifelong habit. For 21 days and beyond.

Stumbling Is Still Moving Forward

So I have managed to get this water thing down. That big bottle is wonderful and assures that I will always have at least 8 cups of water with me at a time. The best part is that I have come to crave it - can't imagine going without drinking water all day long. It is a wonderful feeling.
     Exercise - doing much better with that. Just received the 21 Day Fix and so thankful that each workout is 30 minutes (make for a perfect morning workout).
And then there's the eating - yikes - have I mentioned how much I like to eat - all the wrong things for all the wrong reasons. The 21 Day Fix incorporates the belief that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. So here I go - moving toward a new, healthy habit of EATING. I also understand that this may be the aspect of clean living that will always be a challenge, but I will not ever give up, stumbling now and then is much better for my health than just giving up and eating all of the wrong things - for all of the wrong reasons.

Dietetic Sinners

We are all dietetic sinners; only a small percent of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy. -William Osler

Don't know about the "all" in the quote above, but it does ring true, especially for me. So often I eat for taste and comfort (or boredom). This might not be so bad if the food I ate was fruit and vegetables. That is NOT the case. The food I head for consists of comfort food, carbs (bread and pasta). I HAVE TO CHANGE THIS. I HAVE TO CHANGE THIS FOR ME - FOR MY HEALTH.

This is more challenging because I am not a fan of most fruits and vegetables,

but I am learning and even acquiring a taste for many. 

So the goal is to make changes - how?

Changing what I eat is most important (clean eating), eating smaller portions (several small meals a day), and making sure that I realize what I am eating and when - not just grabbing food and munching whenever.

What's worked so far is water intake! The more water I drink, especially before a meal, the fuller I feel and the less I eat. 

Goal for the week - start using my food app to note what I am eating each day. Nothing enters my mouth without thought - am I hungry, do I need it, what will it do for (or to) my body.

With the right recipes and the avoidance of sugar, I can learn to enjoy eating the foods that are good for me as much as I have enjoyed the foods that weren't - and with a much better response from the body I need to live well.

Managing Mornings

To meet my healthy challenge, I have to learn to get the process right - not perfect - but right for me. Because we are all different, unique, it is important to discern what is best for each of us. So this time around, I have committed to trial and error and if necessary, trial and error again, until my journey toward better health is truly mine. And presently my trial is morning exercise and the error is not getting it done the last two days. I am NOT a morning person (not really even a mid-morning person - more of a zombie until 10 to be exact); however, I have discovered from my continual attempts to exercise IN THE MORNING that I am a better person throughout the day - calmer, less anxious or worried, able to handle stressful situations with more kindness and grace. My day and well being are just better overall.

    So instead of just giving up and considering it a lost cause, never to succeed (it is MORNING after all), I consider what I know to be true - when the exercise session is shorter, I am successful. Thirty minutes more of sleep seems to be the key to my actually "getting up" in time to complete the task. To this end, I have ordered the 21 Day Fix (the serving containers will definitely be a bonus as well). I am not, however, giving up on my longer exercise sessions. These I will work in on most afternoons. This way, instead of ruling out mornings completely, I may actually add work outs
throughout the week. Win-win. Monitoring and adjusting - my new motto toward better health - both mentally and physically - one morning (and afternoon) at a time.