grneyestaurus42’s BodyBlog

I quit smoking 10 years ago. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. I hardly ever think about smoking now, and if I get an urge, it’s minor and fleeting. Someone I know who is a heavy smoker and has been all of her life, once asked for advice on quiting and if I ever craved cigarrettes. I said, "Well, yes, but…." and I was suddenly, violently cut off. She yelled, "Oh no, NO, I can’t stand that, I can’t handle the cravings, I can’t do it. See, I’ll never be able to!" I was going to say yes, there are cravings, but with time, it gets easier.

I realize it’s the same way with dieting. Do I think I’m going to feel hunger while I’m trying to lose weight? Of course! But it’s minor and I’m a big girl, I can handle it. Frankly, even though I’ve only been back at it for a week, I already feel so much better and my pants aren’t quite as tight.

Ignore that voice in your head. You know, the whiny one that says it’s too hard, there will be pain involved, etc. The benefits far outweigh any negatives. Beat that voice down if you have too. My father once said, "Figure out what your goal is, then whatever or whoever gets in your way, crush them." I know that sounds a bit harsh and a little too much like Gordon Gecko, but you get the point. Usually, our worst enemy is ourselves and our self defeating attitudes. Crush your negative attitude and move forward toward your goals.

Julie

OK, so last week it snowed to the point that I had to wipe off my car in the morning to go to work. Today, it’s supposed to hit 67degs! In Maine. Love it! I walked a mile so far here at work and I will walk another before I leave and I may squeeze in another before I go grocery shopping. You have to fit it your exercise when and where you can, just make sure you ignore all those excuses that come flooding in. Find excuses TO workout.

Julie 

…but I’m going to get back up there. I’ve been away for a while and have put on a few pounds, but with the cold weather comes thoughts of hitting the gym. My goal is the same and I’m going to hit it as hard as my arthritic knees will allow.

Sometimes in life, you just have to go thru the motions. I am in a very stressful time of my life right now. I got some devastating news last Monday and ever since, can’t eat, can’t sleep, heart racing, etc. I felt like I was doing everything I could to not completely lose my health, but I realized last night that that wasn’t really true. Here’s what I mean. I can’t sleep. I have changed up my sleeping environment, use a white noise machine and am taking medication to help. Not much more I can do there. I can’t eat. Well, not’s not really true, I’ve just lost my appetite and sometimes my stomach feels upset but I can eat. All week, I’ve chosen to skip meals or eat things that aren’t too healthy. I got on the scale this morning and saw to my surprise, that I’ve gained .4lbs. Not much, but with the week I’m having, I thought for sure I would have lost a couple pounds - or so my inner child of the 1980’s was telling me. I may have taken in fewer calories, but I’ve messed up my metabolism so the scale is going up. Just proves the healthy eating, eating every 2-3hrs. theory works.

So today, I am choosing to go thru the motions, despite how I’m feeling right now. I had my oatmeal this morning which wasn’t easy to get down at all, forced myself to take all my vitamins and supplements. I am having my mid-morning snack right now even though I don’t "feel" like eating anything. And I will continue this throughout my day. I’m also so tired I can hardly see straight and I’ve been using that as my excuse to stay out of the gym or do anything. This is total nonsense. I won’t make it to the gym today, but the sun is shining and I’m going to drag my tired butt outside and at least go for a walk and get the blood flowing. Do I "feel" like going for a walk? No, I feel like curling up and having a good cry but that isn’t what I need.

Have you gone thru a stressful time in your life and stopped taking care of your physical health? I encourage you to at the very least, go thru the motions until you get past it. You are only making an already bad situation worse. Remember that we don’t have to act on our "feelings". We can choose to be strong and decide to do what’s best for us.

On a completely different note, some of you noticed that I took down my profile pic. The reason is that pic was taken when I was about 163lbs. However, at my heaviest, I was about 188lbs. I thought I had a picture of me at that weight, but realized my parents had it in Florida and they have to mail it to me as they don’t have it digitally. So very soon, you will see the REAL "before" picture of me.

Now get out there and do something positive for your health!

Julie

I am realizing the importance of sleep. I have had maybe 8hrs. sleep over the last 3 nights. My body hurts all over but especially my back and shoulders. I feel like my eyes have a film over the lenses and I’ve been making stupid mistakes at work today. I can also feel that if I don’t get some rest soon, I WILL come down with some kind of bug. I also realize, that if you are having a really bad sleep problem and you need to temporarily take something for it, just do it. I wish I never had to take any medication, but sometimes, you just have to face reality.

How are you sleeping? Are you getting your 8hrs/per night? Make it a priority because it effects every part of your life and you’ll just see the world in a much better light!

Julie

Had a bad weekend and a horrible week so far. Dealing with some devastating heartbreak. Don’t know yet how it all will effect me. Maybe I’ll start going to the gym like a fiend, maybe I’ll take a little break.

Julie 

As I was getting dressed yesterday, I think I could actually see a muscle flexing in my shoulder. Could it be or am I seeing things? I also can feel my glutes are much stronger but I can already see my butt disappearing. This is a common family trait, no butts whatsoever. I admit, I not only want a strong butt, but I want it to be round and firm and fill out my jeans, dammit!

Went to that charity dinner and comedy roast last night and didn’t have one drop to drink. Very proud of myself. I don’t drink very much anyway, but even a small amount seems to derail my diet. I ate pretty well too, but I probably did eat a little too much. Thank goodness I’m meeting with the personal trainer again tomorrow.

Julie 

Had a great workout last night. Did weights and floor work for about an hour and then did my HIIT training on the elliptical for 30min. If I could do this routine more consistently, I know I’d see changes quicker, but hey, I’m doing the best I can. I did notice last night as I was making dinner that I could actually feel my lats flexing. For me, this is a totally foreign sensation and very exciting! But now I won’t be able to workout for the next two days as I have a charity dinner and roast tonight (I’ll do my best to eat clean!) and tomorrow I have a hair appt. and I need to color it after - the grays are starting to show! Even though we’re going on our 4th (no joke!) straight week of rain up here in Maine, I brought my umbrella so that I could at least get some walking in while at work. At lunch I’m going to try to do some lunges, squats, etc. See, there’s no excuse not to do SOME exercise.

Meeting with the personal trainer again this Thursday. However, trip to Boston and July 4th fun might derail me, but I’m gonna fight it hard!

Julie 

Had a great workout last night. Did most of the routine that my personal trainer gave me. Also did 30min. HIIT on the elliptical for cardio. Plan to workout over the weekend as well and try to get some lower body stuff in. Feeling good but not seeing any visable changes, hence no progress pics. But I am going to change my hairstyle, so maybe I’ll put a pic up of that!

Julie

Forget what I said last night - got on the scale this morning and I lost 2lbs!!!!!! Can’t help it, love it when I can make the scale move!!!

Julie