| Forum | Topic | Date | Replies |
| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - August 23 - 29, 2009 (3 Waiting List Spots Available) | Aug 27 2009 23:05 (UTC) |
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Hello all! Sorry I'm late! Thanks for the reminders, Sara and Carry! First, my recipe: Sauteed Swiss Chard with Onions. Second, welcome, Zora! I love greens - always have - and so I just include them in everything. I had to look hard for a recipe! Hopefully the exchange helps encourage the greens-phobics a little Check-in - am doing alright, still 100% on exercise, and 0 on logging. Ran my first 5k (distance, not an actual event) the other day, and was quite proud, even if rather slow. In theory I'll be running an actual 5k event next Wednesday... Also recently discovered a New Balance outlet store and got a pair of those (on the subject of sneakers) which are doing great. Particularly since they were hella cheap! I'm never paying retail for running shoes again!
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - August 16 - 22, 2009 (1 waiting list spot available) | Aug 17 2009 22:29 (UTC) |
19 |
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Recipes! Check out http://www.epicurious.com ; It's a great website co-hosted by a bunch of gourmet magazines (!!) There's a searchable recipe index that you can use to find stuff by ingredient, course, occasion, etc. My favorite part is that there are user reviews of each, and looking through them gives you a good idea of whether you'll like something, or what tweaks you should make. It's also great to have recipes online that you can literally cut and paste into the cc recipe analyzer. Just thought I'd drop a line with that tidbit! |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - August 16 - 22, 2009 (1 waiting list spot available) | Aug 16 2009 19:28 (UTC) |
28 |
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Hello all! So sorry for being MIA last week. Work is a turmoil as I settle into a new position, life is a little crazy (we had our house fumigated last week, which meant a lot of fun packing and unpacking of stuff), and I just haven't been able to fully pull my act together... That said, my belated check-in is that exercise continues apace, and eating, as mentioned before, is okay but completely unmonitored, putting me on track for 50% of my goal. I think maybe I'll stick to just one goal next round - my attention span can't seem to handle two! That said, the one goal strategy (I ditched the eating goal a few weeks ago) has really helped me stay on task. I started to lag two weeks ago but am back at it. My goal was 2x a week with exercise, and while I usually manage 3 or even 4 in good weeks, that gives me a lot of good slack. I'm trying to ramp up this week, with running every other day to prepare for a 5K at the beginning of September. And I'm going to throw other things in the mix on the 'off' days. Fabulously enough, even though I'm neither logging nor journaling my intake, the scale needle went down last week (slightly) for the first time in months. Awesome. Topic: The best part of exercise for me is that it's one of the few things that I do that's expressly for me and my own good. The idea that I'm taking time for myself is wonderful. So I really enjoy long walks (and am starting to enjoy runs!) where I can think, be alone, enjoy a little down time without distractions. I don't run with headphones, so it's really just me out there. I also love team sports, including volleyball and frisbee. I've been meaning to do those more, but haven't managed to fit them in yet. I'm not stressing about it too much. When things are more settled, I'll come back to them. I hope the craziness of summer is a getting a little better for you all!
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - July 26 - August 1, 2009 (Closed) | Aug 02 2009 07:46 (UTC) |
2 |
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Hi all, Here I am, better late than never, and in a delightfully ambiguous place to report from. Sounds like summer is an... interesting? time for everyone! To all the folks who have been keeping chugging along with running, congrats! I've been doing the same and today I ran for the longest I've ever run (which of course is how my plan is designed Sara, I kind of think it's great that you're a little too busy for us... That probably sounds weird, but you're always very very on top of things here; I think it's good all around for us to let you put you in front for a bit. We'll hang on until you're settled and fully back in the game. Figure and Raven, hooray for 5ks! I signed myself up for one at the end of August, and by now I'm pretty confident that I'll finish. I might be the slowest one there, (solid chance), but I'll finish! It's comforting to know that other people do it all the time and survive. Raven, how did your 10k go? Germaica - not to worry. The gym treadmill can be intimidating, but once you face down the demon it's actually easier to run on that outside, and I found I got more confident about running generally when I worked out on it. Kind of like training wheels for runners. I think you'll do stellarly. Plus, when you head bacl outdoors you'll be surprised at how much more you'll be doing. Hope the intro goes smoothly! Wenchie, that's great news! Carry, hope the move is going well |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - July 19 - 25th, 2009 (Closed) | Jul 24 2009 08:43 (UTC) |
12 |
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... and as a catch up for the things I missed these last days, welcome to the new and returning members! Also, hugs to Dove and Frog - it's always hard to let pets go..
Carol - Sorry the knee's acting up! I can imagine how frustrating that must be. Hope things start to feel normal again soon. And congrats on the MBA program - that's fab! Sounds like things will continue to be topsy turvy. I figure it's fine for you to complain here every now and then - sometimes you just need a good bitch session to get things into perspective and off your chest! Kyashiis - funny thing - I definitely bought a dress a size too small a couple days ago, and it's my motivation dress! Long story, I'm not usually into the 'goal' clothing, but I've been coveting the damn thing forever, it finally went on sale and they didn't have my size! So I'm hoping I can wear it before long. That would be trhilling. Germaica - isn't the victory feeling awesome? I love it because it doesn't matter how fast I've gone, whether it was a struggle-run or a wind-in-my ears run (and for the record, the speed I go is apparently technically a 'jog', although I'm working my way up) but every single time I can say that I've done better than I've ever done before. Glad you're doing the same; congratulations! Hooray for small victories!! Laura - You know, I've decided two things this round that made me settle on the running. The first is that the previous times I started running programs, I always stopped before it got easy. Even though I've never run like this in my life, I was put off by the fact that it was hard. So this round I'm telling myself that yes, it's hard, that's the point. But if I stick with it, it will get easier. And it has, so I'm hoping to keep the trend going :) The other thing is that I've always decided to do the things that I prefer instead (volleyball, ultimate frisbee, other sports), but while they're awesome, running is the best thing I can do that is dependent only on me. So I don't have to worry about weather, or the game getting called off, I just have to put on my shoes and go. I'm trying to make this the start of being disciplined about the things I know I need to do for me. Kind of a long response ; I've been thinking about this for a while, and the plan is to transform myself into a mentally well-disciplined person, starting with the physical activity, then spreading to eating, time management, prioritizing etc... Lol! You thought you were just encouraging me to mix things up, probably didn't expect such an earful! I *do* try to switch in things I love on the off days... Thanks for the thought!
Well, when it comes to my posting, I guess when it rains, it pours! Enjoy your Fridays! |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - July 19 - 25th, 2009 (Closed) | Jul 24 2009 00:45 (UTC) |
18 |
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Hello all!
Well, first off, sorry for being MIA these last few days. I'm fighting a massive... I'm not sure what - but I've actually gotten as far as reading through your posts several times but have been distracted/called away before I managed to post my own! Thanks to Sara, Dovelette, Germaica and Carry for the friendly nudges. Sounds like folks are doing okay to great on the goals this check in. I'm doing fairly well too - the food-journaling is about 85%, and I'm going to take up the splendid idea of carrying my notebook around with me (thanks for that, Figure!) rather than keeping it next to my bed, where it has been. On the exercise, I'm meeting and passing, so far. The running program I started has me running 4 times a week, and I've been pretty good about it so far. It's getting easier, even though my intervals are getting longer. Even that last bit is inspiring because every day I go out I run longer than I've ever run continuously before! Great motivation there, even if the physical part is hard work! It's not the easiest beginner program, but if you're interested in starting and have tried one or two others before, I think it's worth a look. I got it from Runner's World - it's challenging, but good. On the topic of the blahs... I think that's what I've been struggling with as well, these days. I'm not sure what it is - whether summer feels like the time to take off, whether settling into my routine is more taxing than it seems it should be, or what. I've been doing my damnedest to fight them, particularly with the exercise. Looking back on the number of times I've stopped and started programs I'm determined not to stop this one. So I've been putting all my energy in getting out the door on the days I'm scheduled to run. I figure the thing I have to achieve is not so much finishing the program, losing a bunch of weight, or even eating perfectly; what I absolutely *must* do is fight the "I don't really feel like it today" feeling. So whenever I think to myself 'gosh, I don't really feel like going out to run, I kind of want to sit at home', even if I'm tired I've been telling myself that that feeling is my cue to get the running shoes on and go, that's what I've got to fight. I've been pulling it off, but then everything else (like posting to the group) has kind of been slipping me. Just thought I'd share my own 'blah' struggle... Hope this finds everyone in a good place! C |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - July 5 - 11th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List FULL!) | Jul 09 2009 06:38 (UTC) |
14 |
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I'm here! A little stumped on the recipe this time around - have been too lazy to cook and the inertia is spreading! I'll think about it harder and post something tomorrow for sure, as well as post replies to everyone. Happy Wednesday/Thursday! |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - June 28 - July 4th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List FULL!) | Jul 03 2009 00:57 (UTC) |
11 |
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Hi all! Thanks for the reminders, Sara and Carrie! Here are my goals: 1. (maintenance) Exercise an average of 2x/week 2. (new) For the next 12 weeks, (minus 12 possible slack-days), I will eat up to: 3 meals, 1 snack and 1 dessert per day with no more than 7 alcoholic drinks/week. This is my new meal plan. You may have noticed that I upped my booze quota. I figured that would improve my chances of success - I'm really hoping to get to 100% this time around.
And for check-in - this week has been crazy - the hubby and I are on vacation with his family, which means I'm away from my space, and routine. Last week I got no exercise at all (also managed to get a nasty cold, on top of everything), but I'm back at it this week, trucking away with my beginning running plan. Food is harder to do, particularly with my in-laws. I think that they see our visits as a time to indulge all their foodie desires. Delicious, but really terrible when it comes to maintaining good eating habits. I'm getting better at identifying what I can/shouldn't indulge in, though, and sitting it out while everybody else shares brownie sundaes. Phew. Still, I'll be glad to get back to the relative safety of my little house at the end of the weekend. Good luck, everyone, on the new goals! (And on the non-goals, for those of us working on producing healthy babies!)
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - June 21 - 27th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | Jun 24 2009 03:26 (UTC) |
24 |
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Hello all! Well, goals. I have to admit, that I did that classic wagon jumper move this round, where I realised along the way that I was beyond making/assessing one of my goals so I just kind of threw it out. That was my 1700 cal goal, and I for sure did not make it. I did, however, make my exercise maintenance goal, (I averaged 2.75 times/week) so I'll give myself 50%. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm usually terrible at reaching any consistency goals, but I made the maintenance one, which means that I've been successful on that for the last 24 weeks. In terms of intake, though, I've spent some time thinking about the approach I had/have been using, and whether it's sensible for me to continue it. On the one hand, I'm a little worried that switching strategies is a convenient way to avoid holding myself accountable for not making the goal I set. On the other hand, lookinng back over my journey (7 months of which has been with wagon jumpers! omg!!), I have to note that I've had all kinds of calorie goals, and I generally fail at making them, even though they've gotten somehwat more lenient. Which is not to say that I shouldn't have calorie goals, but I think I should try a different tack for a while. Something about repeating actions and expecting different outcomes not being a solid plan of attack. My best assessment of my eating habits is that most of my regular meal choices are actually pretty good. The trouble starts when I give myself dispensations - I'm PMSing and my appetite is raging, so I have snack after snack; I'm out at a party so I ravage the food table; I'm out drinking with friends, etc. I'd like to build some discipline into my eating. So... with that in mind, my proposal for the next rounds of goals is: 1. (maintenance) Exercise an average of 2x/week 2. (new) Create the habit of an eating schedule according to these parameters: 3 meals/day, plus 1 snack and 1 dessert; max. of 4 alcoholic drinks/week. The daily goal would have 12 slack-days built in for the twelve week period, and the drink goal would be an average. To keep track of them, I'll carry a little notebook around so I can write things down wherever I am. I welcome thoughts/feedback! Will write a bit more to reply to others' goals in a bit.
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - June 14 - 20th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | Jun 17 2009 07:36 (UTC) |
15 |
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Another note on running (I'm all over this week!) |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - June 14 - 20th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | Jun 17 2009 00:45 (UTC) |
17 |
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Hi all! This month is a crazy one - I'm heading to my college reunion this weekend, followed by a week of family vacation. Am hoping I (and my diet and exercise regime) survive! The plan is to take along a notebook for food log and my running shoes. Which feeds right into this week's topic! I've always like sports, of the cardio type, like volleyball, tennis or ultimate frisbee, but never liked straight up cardio, like running. I'm two weeks into a beginning running program (second try, first try was last year. It got derailed after a vacation when I fell of the wagon and then forgot the wagon existed.) I seriously think I have the makings of a star runner. This is at least slightly hilarious given the hijinks I pulled on high school sports coaches to avoid the running part of warm-up routines. But I love being outside by myself, I like the feeling I get when I realize I've hit my groove, and I feel great and accomplished at the end. So I'm trying to stick with this program until I get past the part where it's physically hard, so I can enjoy the other parts. At the end of week two I don't feel as broken up the next day, and while it's still very challenging (partly because the intervals keep getting longer), I feel stronger. I run with a pedometer that gives me distance as well as time spent, and claims to be able to check heart rate too. It helps that I'm doing an 8 week program - it sounds short enough to do. :) For anyone interested, I found it on runnersworld.com So for the time being my routine is cardio-cardio-cardio. Previously it was strength- strength-'cardio'. I have no trouble getting my heartrate up - when I'm at the gym the machines are constantly telling me my heartrate is high. It hangs out between 160 and 170, which I'd be concerned about except that I feel fine at those points, not out of breath, not struggling or anything, and also my resting heartrate is usually fairly low. I'm trying to work up to being able to do 45 minutes straight running (right now I'm at half an hour with 5 1-minute walk-breaks), then I'll get my pilates back in, maybe some yoga and other strength training as well. Sara: Hooray for teams and social pressure leading to good things! The self-consciousness issue is a hard one to get around. When I tried running the first time I definitely only went out at night because I was uncomfortable with looking obviously - inexpert, shall we say - particularly here in SoCal where everybody is all sculpted and manicured. One thing that's helped me - and this may be my own weird negative motivation - is knowing that I have to start somewhere, so there'll never be a time better than now to put the suit/spandex pants on and go. Also, when I see people out exercising, regardless of how inexpert they may look, I'm always thinking 'good for you! stick it out! maybe that'll help me stick it out too!' I've gotten to the point where I don't even think about it.. Probably more of a reaction than you were expecting - I guess that hit a nerve! JessicaAnn: If you can handle a ridiculous number of banner ads, the runnersworld website is great - if you sign up for a free account you can log your workouts online, log miles, join support groups, and all kinds of cool things. They also have example running programs, like the beginner one I'm doing, 5ks, 10ks, and more intense stuff. Dove: sounds like you're due for a reacquaintance with your hoop! Carrie: Boxing sounds faaaabulous - tell us how it goes! Carol: I've also dallied with 'Volumetrics', the idea of which is to make meals filling in terms of volume but still healthy and low-cal. There's a bunch of solid tweaks you can make to food you might eat anyway, which was helpful for me. Germaica: way to go on starting running too! I like having company - hope it keeps going well (and gets easier) :) Declanphineas: Welcome! Julie: How exciting - you should def be a Zumba instructor! MsMeg: I'm so sorry about your loss. It's a hard thing, but you'll pull through.. |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - June 7 - 13th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | Jun 09 2009 08:56 (UTC) |
21 |
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Hello all! Well, today I took the LSAT. It was h-a-r-d. But now I'm done! And I can't do anything about it until the end of June, which is when I get my results. Sorry for being MIA last week. I literally did nothing but study all day every day. Moving on to this week's topic! I'm pretty ready to move on with my goals, I think. Three months is a good stopping point, Sara ;) I'm still doing super on the exercise - my goal was twice a week on average. I haven't checked recently, but I've been averaging three to four times a week, and have just decided to start a running program, which should help even more. I've never been into running, but I think I might have the makings of a good runner - I like being outside, even/especially by myself, I like getting into a rhythm because it helps me unwind, think, relax, etc.. Will let you know how it goes. To stay motivated on that, I also joined a new runners' forum, which will hopefully help me keep myself accountable. On the food goal (1700 calorie average), not so much. I've totally been slacking on logging, entering food at the end of the day or days after the fact, and I haven't put values into my spreadsheet for a while, which means that I don't know what my average is, and I'm afraid to find out. I suspect it's at maintenance. Which is good for maintaining, but not for losing. So I'm thinking about how to adjust my goals for next round so I can affect that. I agree with you, Germaica and Sara, about learning to prioritize yourself, and also with Kyashiis about getting easily derailed by my partner (throwback to last week's thread). I'm figuring out that he's got terrible habits regarding food and exercise, and if I prioritize his choices, or use waiting for him as an excuse for not getting my butt out the door, I'm not going to make it. So I've been trying to take initiative for myself, and am also hoping some of it will spread :) And finally, on last week's topic, I think my biggest flag for flagging motivation (hehe) is when I stop reporting - logging, writing down, keeping track of where I am. I still haven't quite pinpointed why I stop, so I'm going to try to pay more attention the next time around and hopefully find the trigger(s), and something I can do to work around it. That's it for now. Hope everyone's week is starting well!
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 31 - June 6th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | Jun 04 2009 18:43 (UTC) |
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Hi all! I'm here, but sadly not quite able to give as much time as I'd liek to reading and responding this week. LSAT studying has taken over my life. There's so much going on though! I think I might actually hold over some of my comments to next week, when I'll have more time. On motivation I'll have to think hard about what my signs are. Usually I know my motivation is slipping when, well, I don't feel motivated! Will ponder it some more. On the basic check-in front, I've been doing alright. Exercise is still right on, diet right off. At least I'm consistent. :) More next week - stay well everyone! - And welcome, Meri!
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 24 - 30th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 31 2009 05:21 (UTC) |
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Hi again all! I'm late with the follow-up this week - it's been a crazy one! I've got 8 days until I take the LSAT, and I literally have been doing nothing but studing logic games, logical reasoning, logic games, logical reasoning.... Today was a bit slower of a day - we had a practice test this morning. As part of my break, I was reading magazines and found a ton of fab recipes that fit our theme, so I thought I'd input and share! Here's a yummy looking one: Spinach Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Feta. It comes in at over 200 cals/serving, but I put it in as it appeared in 'Gourmet' (which is a website everybody should bookmark!) I'm pretty sure if you tweak/substitute the high-cal ingredients, which are pine nuts, feta and olive oil, the total would be much lower. Mmmm... grilled veggies...
Welcome Jacqueline! Glad to have you in the group! Sara, good luck with your move! It's moving season, apparently. It's great that you managed to get into a place you've been looking at for so long! And way to go getting to the gym even though things are changing up. Julie, fab job getting the kids to the gym. It makes sense that you've been busy - you've got tons going on these days! Also, what a provocative link.. Lee-Anne, congrats on the sale - especially in this economy! That's better than most. And good luck with the exam. Defrog - I've become a fan of Neutrogena's spray on sunblocks - they've got some kind of weird polymer action, so they don't wear off as easily, go on no problem (they should pay me for the publicity), and come with spf as high as 70. That one's not always on the shelf at the drug store, but even the lower numbers are really good! Carrie - too funny! I'm convinced that most people who don't like certain things have just never really had *good* versions :) The grilled part of this recipe makes it reeaaally yummy, I think. |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 24 - 30th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 26 2009 03:41 (UTC) |
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... and here's my recipe. It's a slight cheat because it's one I use for the holiday season, but it's veeeery yummy and very easy, and manages to be pretty healthy even though it has pancetta! (Substitute lean bacon for ease of shopping, the values shouldn't be much different). Enjoy! Link: Brussel sprouts with garlic and pancetta. |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 24 - 30th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 26 2009 03:32 (UTC) |
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omg mojitos and capirinhas and bbqd salmon... summer yumminess! Wait - what's the topic again? :) I'll have a look at my recipes online and elsewhere and post my best. Last week was a stunner week for logging and exercise - joining the university gym was a big boost! This week the challenge is to keep it up. But when is that not the challenge? Congrats on finishing your degree, Tiegurl! That's a big deal!
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 17 - 23rd, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 20 2009 02:59 (UTC) |
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Hello all! Things are getting crazy for me these days. It's getting down to crunch time for me, in my studying for the LSAT, which I may or may not take on June 8th, depending on what my score looks like in the practices I do the week before. So I've hardly been spending time on the other things I have going on, but I am trying to keep my goals in mind... This week's topic:
(maintenance) Exercise at least twice weekly (calculated by average) Super. I did not do a darned thing last week, but I've been so good before and since that if I keep it up I'll definitely meet and maybe even pass this goal. Which is nice. I'm at 2.5 times a week (average), and that should go up after this week. So I guess I'm hanging out on the shoulder of the road to success? Check-in: With all of that, largely because I haven't been able to get my food intake to where I want it (although it has come down from the weeks prior to the challenge) the scale reading isn't very different. I'm trying a new strategy for motivation, which is to break things up into small one-week challenges. So this week my challenge is to exercise every day. Next week might be to average 1550 calories/day, or something. Still thinking about it. Dove I tried going low-carb at one point, and I have to say the appetite thing was my biggest observation. I had no appetite at all after day 3. I eventually dropped it (maxed out on protein. I never wanted to see meat again! But I got over that soon enough :) ), but boy, if I could keep my munchies under control now my life would be so much easier! Julie enjoy your new gym! Carrie that restaurant list sounds great. More later (hopefully, unless I'm drowning in logal reasoning!) , happy mid-week to all! |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 10 - 16th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 16 2009 02:36 (UTC) |
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Hello all! Well, this week's topic was a heavy one for me, because I've definitely been struggling with motivation. I have to echo much of what's been said on patience (or the lack thereof), and doing better when I feel like someone's counting on me. I've actually been casting around this week for motivating activities/ideas, because my easy exercise option - the trails near my house - have gotten a liiittle boring for my (admittedly miniscule) attention span. I also have had some schedule glitches this week, which are both not my fault and an excuse... you know how it goes... On to the actual question. Who do you have in your life who will motivate you to stay active? How do they do it? If you haven't recruited anyone, who could you recruit? Well, that's easy one - no one in my immediate geographical vicinity, really. My partner is lovely and supportive, but also lazy and blessed with a metabolism/genes that allow him to get away with minimal exercise and all kinds of ridiculous eating habits. He definitely encourages me when I'm on a mission with something, either food or exercise, but because he doesn't often do dedicated exercise and likes rich desserts and my buy-in on both, he's not much good at giving me the kick in the pants I really need. (Kyashi, I hear you!) So what can I do/who can I recruit? There's one acquaintance - a grad student who works with my husband - who over the last year has been amazingly disciplined, exercising on campus almost every day and getting really awesomely fit. We hang out from time to time but have never exercised together. She's one of those powerhouses who can discipline herself really well. I'm not sure she'll want somebody riding on her coat tails, but I think I'm going to see if I can be her work out buddy. And maybe I can get motivated by osmosis :) Today I got a membership at the university recreation center, which is a good first step. I'm no longer a student, so I had to pony up the cash, but it's much cheaper than all the other options nearby, and I've always been better at doing things when I've already paid for them! Welcome, Dove! And congratulations for working at this for so long.
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 10 - 16th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 14 2009 00:17 (UTC) |
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I'm here! Hi all! Haven't gotten my thoughts together to post yet this wek, but I'm following along. Will have a moment to post in the next day. :) |
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| Motivation | Wagon Jumpers - May 3 - May 9th, 2009 (Closed, Waiting List Available) | May 07 2009 01:56 (UTC) |
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Hello all! Check-in Well, it's been a crazy start to the week - we've got a gnarly fire raging above town, it's HOTHOTHOT, and I feel like I haven't got any energy at all at all. That said, I have managed to get out to exercise a couple times already, and am vaguely keeping close to logging properly even though my calorie goal is still not under control. Topic Motivation is a big issue, of course. I definitely do much better when I've got other people involved in whatever it is (I hear you, Jessica!) This weekend, incidentally, I went to a volleyball game on the beach. We may have nasty fires, but the upside of living in Santa Barbara is bronzed gods and goddesses on the beach playing volleyball. And, in keeping with the discussion of superficial preoccupations with looks, I have to admit that I always enjoy being around good-looking people. So there's my motivation to go play! Yes, please! lol! I'm hitting my regular wall with exercising by myself, even though I'm still enjoying the walks in the reserve near my house it's becoming more of a struggle to get out on the trail. So I'm going to make an effort to mix things up to help me stay interested and in the game. Hopefully volleyball can be a part of that The other thing that's been great for me is my spreadsheet, for two reasons. First, because my goal is an average, when I have little falls off the wagon they don't seem as disastrous; and it's clear what I have to do to fix them and get closer to my goals. Second, it reinforces that I need to constantly work on planning my meals and being mindful of my food choices. Bad decisions show instantly in my little goal-progress estimate. I definitely think looking good is a big motivator - for instance, when I don't have a mirror prominent in the house, things kind of get out of control. But I don't want to be super skinny, I want to be ridiculously lean and fit. Like those bronzed gods and goddesses in the adjacent beach volleyball courts! Or some of the people at my yoga studio. I see people looking like that, and I think 'good lord, that's hot! If I keep coming to yoga will I look like that too?' So maybe I can use that to motivate me more too... See? good things can come of superficial thoughts! Besides, I think it's been pretty well proven that the reason we as humans like looking at people/things that look pretty (read 'fit', or whatever), is because we associate them with health and benefit. It's a natural and pretty sensible tendency - we shouldn't have to apologize for it! Other notes Congrats on 6 months, Defrog!! And good luck as the little tyke keeps growing! And ps, what's PITA?? MsMeg, good luck on your 5K! It's super awesome that you're doing it - give yourself props for that! I'm okay with whatever decision reigns re. group size. Increments sound like a sensible way to proceed.
The Fine Print: What's Really in a Lot of 'Healthy' Foods |
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. Good topic Sara!
) Today's interval was a half hour, followed by a one minute break and another ten minutes to take me to 40 minutes. Super. Of course, tonight I downed an entire bar of toblerone, to make up for all my good work. I'll go ahead and blame it on TOM. It's been my only major transgression this round, though, so I'm not too upset. Next week I'm challenging myself to run as many days as possible. The food logging is nowhere near goal, but I've just about decided to forgeddaboutit. I think maybe one goal at a time is best for me. Since my eating isn't particularly horrible - although not quite 'diet' standard - I'm going to work on getting a handle (a foot?) on this running thing, and when that's second nature, I'll rethink food. 
Also, I'm seriously coveting your deck right about now.
What you eat can have a direct effect on your skin if you're struggling with psoriasis. See what to shop for.
