Tag: #Freestyle

Day Three Hundred Eighty-Seven…

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It was raining heavily when I left my house at 4:50 am to go to spin class. Even though it was hard to leave the house on a dark and stormy morning, it was worth it. Looking back on today, it feels great knowing I took that time for myself.  I had a lot of energy, I wasn’t so hungry as I’ve been over the past three days, and I got to be around positive like minded people. Activity helps on a lot of different levels. I feel accomplished because I could complete the workout. Now that I use a heart monitor, I challenge myself to control my recovery time and I can see that I’m getting better at that.  I enjoy my instructors and it’s just a fun thing to do.

I don’t know if tomorrow, Day Three Hundred Eighty-Eight, will be the day that I reach goal. I don’t even want to jinx myself since it was a rough week.  I am ending with a balance of -14 SmartPoints. Five out of seven days were “blue dot” days so that’s pretty good. The important thing is that I tracked, weighed, and measured my foods. I found some resilience when I really needed it yesterday, and I made my goal of working out this morning. These are all good examples of NSV’s. This is what WW is all about and if you’re really ready to dedicate some time to weight loss and wellness you should join us.

Either way, I’ll let you know tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Day Three Hundred Fifty-Five…

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What do you think of when you read the word, craving?  I think of this as a negative word, one that has deep roots primitive behaviors that spell trouble for changing my lifestyle when it comes to food and fitness.

Well, it turns out I’m half right. A craving is a primitive behavior. One that is generated from the hippocampus, a part of the brain that houses memory.  Whenever we establish a habit, the brain learns to anticipate a reward and kicks a craving into action. The longer we delay the reward the stronger the craving becomes.

However, we can use this part of human nature to our advantage. Instead of craving chips, cookies, or cake, we can train our brain to crave the sensation we get after a good workout. I think that’s why it’s so important to have non-scale goals because when we crave weight loss in numbers we can be easily disappointed.  Sometimes, even when we have a perfect week, we don’t get these ideal numbers we were hoping for and end up feeling frustrated and despondent. No good.

Reflecting back on this (almost) year-long-journey I have learned to crave productive rewards that are helping me to get to goal. I’m so close, almost there. I feel great and am filled with gratitude.

#SelfLoveChallenge

DAY 24: Get out in nature—take a walk, do some gardening, or just lay in the grass.

This was the perfect challenge for today. It was such a lovely summer day. My husband and I went to the beach and had a nice time. Until our quiet shady reading spot was invaded by a raucous group of 13-year-olds celebrating a birthday. Loud and full of energy – so we left and went to the village to enjoy a walk on the dock. It was sunny and breezy and we thoroughly enjoyed the weather.

Northport Village

Day Three Hundred Forty-Eight…

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Graduating from college is an important milestone. It marks the ending of one point and the beginning of the next. Together we celebrated Jimmy’s great achievement and cheered for his future.

Jimmy

Of course, there was lots of delicious food. I tracked everything I ate between yesterday and today, now I have one Smartpoint left for my Weekly Remaining balance.

This morning, I woke up and went to spin. It was a great ride, I left feeling energized and strong, and that is amazing. Afterward, I visited with family, and again, it was a heavier point day than usual. I started the day with homemade bread toasted with homemade guacamole. I had a little piece of a donut. These are not typical choices I would make.

As I reflect on how I”m feeling, I can tell you I’m feeling the food right now. It may sound obnoxious but I’m not used to eating so much food. It’s funny but it’s kind of like training. When you spend your time eating healthy and getting regular activity your body adjusts to that lifestyle. If you spend your time overindulging in rich foods and doing more sedentary things your body adjusts to that too. I suppose the thing to appreciate is how magnificent our bodies are. The body will accommodate whatever, for better or for worse for as long as it can and that’s incredible.

#SelfLoveChallenge

DAY 18: We all slip up at one time or another—it happens, we are not perfect and it’s OK. Give yourself permission to not be perfect. What is important is your next step after that slip-up

I don’t consider these two days as a “slip up”. I did everything I’ve been learning to do. Tracking, being mindful, and getting activity are all really good things to do. Could I have said no to somethings? Yes, I absolutely could have. Instead, I decided to say yes and that’s ok. For me, it has never been about perfection, it is about process and progress.

 

Day Three Hundred Twenty-Nine…

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One of the reasons I joined Weight Watchers is that their program is rooted in scientific research. It is built to sustain life-long behavior changes when it comes to eating right and getting active.  A benefit of the program is that we receive a Freestyle publication that shares research and insights into weekly topics. Our topic this week is self-esteem.

Self-esteem

Having a healthy self-esteem helps with weight loss. The sad part of this equation is that we tend to have lower self-esteem just when we need it most! There is certainly a lot of judgment and prejudices embedded in our society when it comes to weight. I have been on both ends, and have experienced it first hand. People treated me differently when I was 85.8 pounds heavier. It is heartbreaking and it is true. I am thinking that is why Weight Watchers Science Team coined the phrase “weight independent self-esteem.”  It is essential that we all value ourselves for who we are not what we weigh.

Years ago I read Geneen Roth’s book, Women, Food, and God An Unexpected Path to Almost Anything. Her book had a profound impact on me.  I’m annoyed too because I lent it to someone who never gave it back The thing is I am struck by how many lessons I learned about myself reading that book  Things have stuck with me even though I wasn’t fully ready to understand her message until now. Read the book  My top three lessons I learned:

  1. Stop taking what I already have for granted.
  2. Food is not a time machine to bring me back to happier days.
  3. Get out my head and into my body; be appreciative for what it does for me every day.

It’s no wonder that Geneen’s work has had an influence on Oprah too:

If you want to improve your self-esteem here is an exercise I learned this week:

  1. Focus on someone who cares about you.
  2. Examine that person for a minute – how they look, what they sound like, eye color, height, imagine this person smiling at you, personality…
  3. Ask, What makes this person special to me? Then observe how you feel.
  4. Ask, How does that person see me?  List all the things that you do that makes your special person appreciate you. You are so worthy of love and self-caring!

These are suggestions from Weight Watchers. Why not try them? There is nothing to lose and maybe a lot to gain. My wish for you is that you have a successful day on the journey!

Day One Hundred Ninety-Two…

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There is no better feeling than being in snuggled in bed on a dark snowy morning. The light filtering through the window is grey and muted. On any other day, a ringing phone would be jarring, but today it is as comforting as a childhood memory, “Good Morning, This is Dr. Gianni, due to the inclement weather school will be closed today, March 13th…” Clicking off the phone, it quickly shouts out another cheerful ring, click: “Good morning, This is Robert Banza,” the Northport choir singing softly behind him, “Due to the storm our roads will not be safe for travel for our students, faculty, and staff. Our schools will be closed…”  Getting a day like today is like receiving a gift to do whatever I want – or even to do nothing and just be. I know that everyone is safe and sound that is a remarkable feeling of contentment.

Nature is awesome. I can’t get over how vulnerable the gazebo looks.
8sp totally worth every delicious bite!
Quiet lovely calm despite the dangerous driving conditions.

I feel like I’m making the most of the day. Our daughter did have to go to work but Stop & Shop is just down the road from where we live.  So my husband cleared the snow and we dropped her off and took a ride into town. This made me think of my father-in-law who loved to venture out on snowy stormy days. He loved the adventure of it, and it was comforting to think of him too.  We came home, and I made three batches of pancakes: M&M pancakes for my son, regular for my husband, and blueberry for me. Yes, on Weight Watchers I can enjoy pancakes too. That’s why this program is the best one for making a lifestyle change. It would be a dark, stoic, unhappy life if I couldn’t relish a dish of blueberry pancakes on a snow day!

I hope that wherever you are in the world you are well on the journey. I wish you calm, contentment, and joy. Yes, we all want to reach our weight loss or fitness goals, but the thing is, if you are on the journey to improve your life, you don’t have to wait to start enjoying today. Make it a great one.