Are your friends for you or against you?

May sound like a harsh question, but it is an important one to ask.  "But they're your friends!  Doesn't that mean that they're for you?"  Nope, not necessarily.  Even the best of intentions can sabotage your efforts to create a healthier you.
I've come across a couple of instances when friends were trying to be supportive but were really doing their friend a great disservice.  Someone has an uber-stressful day at work and just wants to crawl into a greasy basket of fries and whatever else. 
"Go ahead, dear.  You deserve it."
"You've done so well eating healthy today.  You should reward yourself with a candy bar."
"It's your birthday!  Go eat whatever you want!"
"Big is beautiful!  It's okay to be large."

... If that's what you what for your life, fine.  No problem.  I'm not the food police and to each his own. 

But if you're not willing to settle, but shoot for something better, I would suggest that you stay away from such toxic talk.  Or perhaps you were like me, eating your way to oblivion-- and such suggestions could help you justify yourself to an early, miserable death.  The question comes down to, "What do you want?"  Once you have laid your course, make sure you have at least one friend who is set in helping you get what you want.  I have my health coach.  Then my close friends and family recognized how important this was for me, and supported me all the way.

In no way am I suggesting that you get rid of your non-simpatico friends!  But just be prepared to stand your ground on your decision and not listen to the poisonous suggestions.  They hold diversions from what you want.  I used to get annoyed at the chant, "Big is beautiful!"  That is, until I recognized what it really meant.  I too used to chant this phrase of mock-confidence.  That was when I gave into the lie that I would be enormous forever.  Back when I hated the skinny people, because that was what I would never be.  The "Big is beautiful" chanters are those who are trying to settle.  But you don't have to any more.  THERE IS A WAY OUT!  I know!  I was almost 300lbs!  I was happy with my life, but not happy with who I was.  But now, I'm released to be the person I always knew I could be.

Don't settle for less than what you are capable of... and true friends help you achieve that which is the most important.

Learning to Dance in the Rain...

So, if anyone has been following my blog or Facebook page, you might have noticed that my updates have been far and few between.  Let me put it to you straight—life came crashing in!  Yeah, yeah, it’s all part of “growing up.”  I’ve been fortunate enough to live relatively close to my parents and am able to rely on them for watching my kids occasionally… until recently.  Don’t want to scare anyone, my parents are okay.  They’re just out of town.  Which means that all the childcare I normally had for school time, field work, working, subbing, and band practice… well, it’s just not there.  Rick and I have been combining our forces, but being a working parent is hard!  It doesn’t help that I’m a habitual multi-tasker.  But what are you going to do?  Life goes on!

It has been a challenge to stay on course over the last three weeks.  I believe that this is the toughest hurdle I have encountered.  What I have come to realize though, is that I can do it.  And one of the things that helps me barrel through the chaos and overcome the challenge is MUSIC.  Don’t neglect that power of a good beat!

Have you ever had those times when you’re doing something so mundane, like washing the dishes, and five minutes feels like an eternity?  But then you put on some good tunes, and suddenly, not only has time sped by, but your dishes got done too? 

There actually is something to this “magic.”  It’s called an “ergogenic aid.”  “An ergogenic aid is anything outside you body that boosts physical or mental performance, either by increasing your capacity to perform, removing psychological constraints to performance, or speeding your recovery after exertion,” explains Dr. Wayne Scott Andersen in his book Dr. A’s Habits of Health.  He goes on further to explain how music actually helps distract from any discomfort and enhances performance.  That would probably explain why I feel like I can pretty much do anything whenever I’m blasting Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.

I never realized that within my own brain I was setting up “psychological constraints,” but it’s true!  When I put on a rockin’ beat or a smooth, calming instrumental (for my studies) I’m distracted from those barriers and pass them before I realize I’m through.

So my encouragement this week, as I sit here, blogging after making a birthday cake for my daughter’s 4^th birthday tomorrow, and listening to my “writing” playlist--- when life gets crazy, take a moment, breathe, put on a good tune, and get back at it.  As Vivian Greene so famously said, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storms to pass.  It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”  Why not add music to help the process?

Lessons learned from a crash 'burn.

So I'm still picking up the pieces of what turned out to be an exceptionally busy time.  I posted last Thursday about the victory of making the right choices in a stressful time.  About taking a moment to breathe and evaluate the priorities.  What I need to follow up with is that when you make it through the triumph, don't drop your guard!  While I was victorious and empowered by Thursday, I epically crashed and burned on Friday.

What I said about choices still holds true.  I made the choices, even if they were bad ones.  While on Thursday I chose to challenge, Friday I chose to succumb to my stress.  I had also allowed things into my house that should not have been there.  Thursday night my daughter came home from Grandma's with some cookies they had baked.  Innocent enough, right?  I mean, it's not like we outlaw such things in my house, but this was a Tupperware container of cookies.  Why were there so many?  My dad dropped off some tired girls, and there was no explanation about the cookies.  I was nervous, but thought, "It's okay.  This won't bother me."  Yikes...
Friday hit with a storm of chaos that put Thursday to shame.  Everything was on a time schedule and I told myself I couldn't afford to take a moment to breathe, pray, and evaluate the situation.  It just takes a moment, but it's always easy to forget that in the midst of the chaos.  And in the midst of the stress, I had unclaimed contraband in my house, just waiting to make me "feel better."  (By the way, they didn't).
So by that afternoon, I didn't have any more cookies in my house.  Was it worth it?  No.  I kicked myself out of fat-burning and now it will take me a couple of days to ramp up my metabolism again.  Did it make me feel better?  No.  Actually, it made me feel really sick to my stomach and much less energetic than I was.  Is my weight loss blown?  NO!  I could stay here, and just say, "Oh well, that is that," but that's not the case anymore.  The next hour is a new hour, and tomorrow is a new day.  I've lost 93lbs!  That's no small feat!  I learn from my mistakes, remember how those choices did not have good returns, and try to avoid them in the future.  I did later talk to my mother and ask her to only send one or two cookies for my daughter to eat at home.  I came to find out that those cookies where supposed to be taken to school.  Had I known that, I probably would not have had the fall that I did.  Perhaps that's another strategy for the future-- all junk food is claimed, and send it on its way as soon as possible.

So here is to another new day!  I'm drinking my water, sticking to my program approved foods, and not dwelling upon my mistakes, but taking actions against repeating them.  I am a conqueror and I aim to make that optimal weight!  Green BMI, here I come!

Dealing with the stress...

 Today... started off with the perfect storm of turmoil.  I was woken up by the kids after a not so restful night of sleep.  We heat our house with a fireplace, but of course the only wood we have in our ill-planned supply is wet, red cedar.  It wasn't as if I could just let the house go unheated, because it's still snowing occasional outside (I have a certain groundhog I'd like to have a few words with).  While I was spending way too much time trying to coax the fire alive, my children are impatiently demanding of me breakfast, juice, movies... whatever.  While trying to keep my cool, I try to keep the fire going, get the girl's breakfast, and get my own breakfast.  I continually trip over the clutter that has built up around my house because I have been preoccupied with other "stuff"... you know, like grad school.  While washing out a juice cup, I look out the window and notice the dog, who is normally contained by an electric perimeter, is wandering out of bounds... through my garden which is off limits.  I knock on the window to shoo her out of there... and she tears through the new, spring tulips.  And this all happens while my husband is making his way out the door for work.

STRESS!!!
...and I've come to realize that I am a stress eater.  Eating used to be my way of coping with an overwhelming situation.  Mornings like this one strive to send me into the bottom of a bag of potato chips.  But through the process of losing weight, I have come to realize that I have a choice in everything.  No one is forcing those chips down my throat (which thankfully I don't have in the house).  I put them there, by my choice.  And even though everything is crazy right now, I can choose to let it beat me down or I can choose to take on the challenge.

 

I took the challenge!

 

I put on my red Wonder Woman earrings, my "No Whining" shirt, my "I'm working" bandana, put on some tunes, drank some water, and got to work.  My goal was to get SOMETHING accomplished today that was out of the norm.  It's overwhelming to look at all the problems as a whole.  I'm one of those people who has a mind like "Wonderbot" on Robots-- too much and my brain overloads and short circuits.  But I've found that if I just take ONE thing at a time, I can get a lot done.  I start with something I know is doable, like putting away the silverware from the dishwasher.  That then flows into putting away the plates.  Before I know it, I've unloaded the dishwasher and loaded it up with another load.  While that's running, I know have a bit of kitchen counter space.  I can throw the garbage way... and it continues from there.

 

 

Well, the mess I intended to "super clean" is still there in the background, but look at that shiny, clean counter I have to work with now!  I used it to make brownies (don't worry, they're on plan) and store them in the fridge.  I feel a sense of accomplishment, I got some good exercise, and the overwhelming problems I experienced before suddenly aren't so big anymore.  I'll get to the super mess later, but now I'm going to revel in the triumph of not eating my way to comfort.  I drink my water in salute to a healthy lifestyle.



 

Launching our blog!

Sure, at times it feels like I have blogs all over the place!  What with my grad school tech classes, private life, and now professional life.  But the great thing about blogs is that people can take or leave what they want.
Rick and I are excited to be embarking on our journey as health coaches.  We started on a program last year and the results were so amazing, we just had to share with others!  (I also notice that along with the weight loss, I write with a lot more exclamation points.  That's how excited I am!)
I am absolutely loving the little things that have been gifted back to me that I used to take for granted.  Things like bending down to tie my shoes-- WITHOUT my knees creaking!  I can run, jump rope, and fit behind the wheel of my car.  My fencing gear fits again and I'm looking forward to doing some dueling with my husband (even if he IS left-handed).
Losing the weight has done incredible things for me.  A couple of years ago, I had some blood work done to see where my glucose levels were.  Diabetes was a very REAL risk for me, being Alaskan Native and my grandfather passing away from it.  I was labeled as "Impaired Glucose Tolerance," meaning, I was well on my way to developing Type 2 Diabetes.
I am very pleased to say that a recent doctor's appointment and blood results announced that my glucose levels are back to normal and healthy.  The doctor even said that my cholesterol was "exceptional."
There is so much more to tell you about our journey, and I will be filling you in.  Right now, I just want to introduce our blog as, hopefully, a helpful resource.  We've included helpful links for those interested, or even just curious, in what this program has to offer.
Have a glorious day, everybody.  Please do not hesitate to ask us questions!

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